Paranoid
by midnightwriter1898
Summary: CR/JONAS crossover. Very AU. Well, crazier things have happened than me being stuck in an old castle dungeon, captured by my worst possible enemy, with the Lucas Brothers... Right? 50th story!
1. One

**A.N: **_I know, I'm on FF-break, and yet I'm starting a new story? Well... this idea has actually been in my head for a _long, long_time, and I was dreaming about it last night, and I woke up with the goal to actually write it :) I was just going to include C3, to make it simpler, but I really didn't think that their characters would fit the part the way I wanted them to... ya know? So I decided to include the "Lucas" brothers, since that's the best I can think of for now :) - Anyway, this will be a little darker than some of my other fictions (yes, if that's not scary, I don't know what is). Just warning you guys :) - I am going to try to update as frequently as I can, but guess what? I finally got my PC back (somewhat at least) and just yesterday, it crashed again... the same problem, too. It never got fixed :( So I'm back to the laptop.. oh joy!_

_Anyway, I will stop this horribly-long A/N, and instead just say no, I don't own CR or JONAS, and please, please review!!!_

_P.S. I am calling this 'Paranoid' until I can get back on my pc and pick a different title, so the title will be changing, but I will tell you guys what it is before I change it :) Enjoy in the process :)_

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***Prologue***

**I **didn't know what was happening - or what had happened. I didn't even know where I was, or if I was maybe... dreaming? Colors were swirling in my head, vaguely fading in and out, before returning to the dense darkness. I was pretty sure I preferred the mixed up rainbow flooding through my head instead of the black. The darkness had a sinister feeling to it, one that made me tremble subconsciously.

I remember being afraid - I remember running. I remember blood... _Falling_, hard, to the ground. Men surrounding me, their voices blending together, and only one standing out, a tall shape stepping out from the mist of them. And then the darkness swallowed me, and it's refused to leave me since. Why can't I break free from it? Why won't it release me?

Voices... voices surrounding me, talking loudly. Laughs, cheers, and snide remarks. I open my mouth to respond to them, but I _can't_. I want to scream, and I'm freaking out, but my body refuses to respond. I can't even open my eyes. Why can't I react? Why won't my body _move_?

One voice in particular stands out, and I can't help but flinch as it speaks. Why do I know that voice, and why does it strike such fear into me? I can't understand anything, except for the strange-colored flashes breaking through the blackness. What was going on? I can't make sense of this up or down.

I groan in frustration, and I hear the voices stop, and I wonder why. I try to force my eyes to open, but they refuse to work with me. The voices begin again, only muffled this time, and now I can't understand anything they're saying. For some reason, this scares me more so, and I fight to break out of the darkness.

Finally, my body seems to react, and I can move again. Slowly, I open my eyes, everything still clouded from the blackness. The world seems to be spinning as I snap my eyes shut, the sudden light hurting my eyes. The noises stop, and out of curiosity I force my eyes to re-open. What I see surprises me.

The first thing that I notice is that it isn't bright at all. In fact, there's hardly any light, and I appear to be in some sort of cave. There's a small fire in the far corner, and I can vaguely make out dark, tall shapes faced towards it. I muffle my groan as I wriggle, attempting to see more clearly.

Even without making much noise, I attract the attention of the dark shapes in the corner. I stop, breathing hard as one gets up, turning around, and I can see the face of a man. I pull back as the man steps towards me, staring down at me, wondering why I feel so afraid suddenly. It doesn't make sense that I'm terrified of him.

As he draws away from the fire, I can see his face clearly, and with a gasp I pull away, my eyes widening as I wonder why _he's_ here. I thought that I'd never see_ him_ again. And yet, _he's_ here, staring down at me with a wicked grin and power in his eyes.

It only makes sense that the fear I feel sends me straight back to the blackness, but, this time, I don't mind.


	2. Two

**A.N: **_I decided to go ahead & update, even though I didn't get any reviews :( Maybe you guys can review this time??? - I don't really like this chapter much. It seems like it's lacking something, I'm just not sure... what, exactly :) But hopefully the drama/suspense will pick up soon, I'm trying my best to make it... better. :) Anyways, this chapter introduces the... Lucas Brothers! lol. And thankfully, it's longer than the prologue. Enjoy & maybe leave a review on your way out? I'm working really hard on this and would appreciate a few reviews :) Thank you!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own CR, JONAS, or really anything at all... :(_

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**S**ilence. No noise, no flashing colors, and no haunting faces engraved into my mind. Just the darkness, but it felt different this time. This time, it wasn't holding me it's captive. I just didn't want to leave the black just yet. The black was my own protector in the _real_ world. In this world, should I say, where _he_ was back.

Silence is _golden._

A groan broke the silence - one that wasn't my own - and I frowned inwardly as it caught my attention. I could tell it hadn't come from one of my captors - after I'd passed out, I remember them carrying me somewhere, and ever since then, I hadn't heard them again. I wasn't sure where I'd gone, or what they'd done with me, but I didn't care, because I was still alive, and they weren't around.

There was a sudden shuffled footsteps, but I could tell they weren't my captors. It was different - less harsh, softer - confused. Confused? Maybe I wasn't the only one who was confused, after all. But why would anyone be here with me - it was only my captors when I'd first woken up, no one else. Who else was unfortunate to be on _his_ bad side?

With a soft sigh, I forced my eyes open, blinking wearily. I heard muffled voices, but instead I focused on my surroundings. It was still dark, with four walls made of solid rock on all sides. There were no windows - well, there was one hole in the far wall where a small rock had fallen out, allowing some light inside, but it was barely as big as my fist. Not much hope of escape coming from there.

To my right, there was a "door", much like the old castle jails used to have, with thick iron bars across the top half, and the bottom made of the same rocks that the rest of the walls were. With much surprise, I realized that we were indeed in a cell, or to be more specific, and old castle dungeon.

_What in the world...?_

A short cough drew my attention away from my discovery, and I turned my head around to spot three young men taking up the other half of the cell, now staring back at me. One had a black eye, and the other two had him sitting in between them protectively. I squinted, hardly able to see their faces in the dim light._ I knew them from somewhere... why did I know them?_

"Umm... hello." My voice sounded forgien and cracked, even to my ears, and I winced as I spoke, wondering if it sounded as bad to them as I heard it. They didn't flinch, or draw back, however, instead only regarding me curiously. I frowned, knowing I must look like a mess. Who knows how long I'd even been in here?

"Hi." The one on the left said, and I tried to push myself up (lying there, with all eyes on me made me uncomfortable), but I failed miserably, giving a short gasp as I fell back against the hard stone floor. Maybe I shouldn't have tried that...

"What happened to your eye?" I asked the middle one, and he glanced at his two friends uncomfortably, as if deciding whether to answer me. The one on the left nodded, and finally the middle one turned to face me. What was up with these three boys, acting so strangely? It was as if they were afraid to talk or even look at me. Was I really that terrible looking?

"I got into a fight." He spoke slowly, although his tone indicated that it was much more than just a measly fight. I decided not to press the issue, however, seeing as though there were other things that were much more important. Like maybe figuring out a way to escape.

"Oh." I spoke softly, my voice a little stronger now, and I moved my arm up, rubbing my sore forehead. The one on the left seemed to notice, and spoke up, eyeing me worriedly.

"Are you okay? What happened?" He asked quietly, and I frowned, unsure. What _had_ happened? I could only remember bits and pieces, and everything was clouded over, faint, drawing away with each passing moment. There was walking alone, and then noticing _him_ and running... I winced, squeezing my eyes shut at the pain that enveloped my head.

"I don't remember." I replied hesitantly, refusing to meet their eyes as I spoke. _I don't remember?_ I didn't even want to think about how that must have sounded to them. "Why are you guys here?" I asked instead, hoping they wouldn't ask about what I meant.

"We honestly don't know." The one on the right finally spoke, and I turned my attention to him as he shrugged. "I'm still shocked they managed to get past the security guards." At this, I frowned, wondering if I was being as unclear and confusing as they were. They seemed to finally notice that I didn't understand, and the middle one spoke again.

"Wait - you don't know who we are?" He sounded surprised, and I frowned, shaking my head slowly. All three boys exchanged shocked glances, and now the middle one turned to me again. "Haven't you heard of the band _JONAS_?" He asked, and I nodded, confused as to what JONAS had to do with any of the boys sitting in front of me, but playing along with them anyway. "Well... we're kind of the Lucas Brothers, of the band JONAS. Hi, I'm Joe, and this is Kevin -" He motioned to the boy on his left, who smiled, raising his hand in my direction, "And this is Nick." The one on Joe's right - Nick - nodded in my direction.

Maybe if I hadn't been so nervous about _him_, then I would've been more surprised, or shocked, even. But instead, I simply nodded, accepting the fact that I was stuck with Joe, Kevin, and Nick until I figured out what in the world was going on here.

Well, crazier things have happened than me being stuck in an old castle dungeon, captured by my worst possible enemy, with the Lucas Brothers.


	3. Three

**A/N: **_Sorry it's been a little while since I've written - I honestly just didn't feel like writing anything, and plus it was a busy week. And then, after the extremely tiring week, we went to a Metallica concert - it was AWESOME! haha :) They are the greatest! Anyways, sorry about not updating, and enjoy the next chapter :)_

_Disclaimer: Let's see... nope, I do not own CR or JONAS. Enjoy anyways :)_

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**A**ll was quiet around us. The boys had stopped speaking, and I hadn't felt like pressing the issue. I need time to think - to figure out what was going on. I didn't understand why _he_ was here.... or why the Lucas Brothers were here, either. I had a hutch about what he wanted with me, but them... it just didn't make sense. A sigh escaped from my lips and I ran my hand through my hair, casting a quick glance at the brothers.

"Did you see who... you know, when..." I trailed off, groaning at my horrible attempt at asking them a simple sentence. My head was still fuzzy, and I couldn't seem to form my thoughts into words. Instead I just gave a quiet sigh and shrugged, leaning my head back against the wall, closing my eyes_. Why did he have to come back, now, just when_....

"Yeah, we saw him." Kevin's voice cut into my thoughts, and my eyes snapped open, resting on the oldest brother. "I mostly just remember his expression..." He shook himself, as if trying to erase the memory, and I couldn't help but agree. I released a shaky breath, remembering the last time _I'd_ seen him.

"He had a scar down his right cheek." Nick interrupted, and I nodded, vaguely remembering seeing the scar before I'd run from him. He was mad - driven by revenge, and filled with hate that he wasn't entitled to feel. If anything, it should be _me_ hating _him _- I who was seeking revenge. But no, I _couldn't. _I was so _weak_.

I must have spoken aloud without realizing it, because suddenly, all eyes were on me.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked, looking genuinely worried, but I only frowned, shaking my head before pulling my knees up, attempting to shield myself from the curiosity/confusion in their eyes. I didn't feel like explaining everything that had happened over the past three years - everything that I'd been trying to put in the past for all these years. I sucked in a deep breath, holding it as I tried to stop my head from spinning. _Just when I thought he was gone forever..._

I jumped as the cell's door gave a loud bang, sliding open. Within the span of a few seconds, I was on my feet and backing away, unable to stop the fear that was coursing through my veins. This was the moment when I would know for _sure_ that this wasn't just some nightmare - this was _real. _I didn't want to believe it - it was too soon to face him, it was too soon for me to face all the pain and hurt that he'd left me with.

And yet, here he was now, standing only a few feet away from me, his eyes surveying my expression. The smirk playing out on his lips told me that he knew - he saw my emotions, and he knew _everything_. Somehow, this caused anger to rush up. He didn't deserve to know how I felt - he didn't have the right to even remember my name. I straightened, pushing my fear away, and glared straight back at him.

The scar shown clearly on his face, a jagged line down his cheek, and I couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten it. Probably doing some other horrible deed, when someone had had the guts to stand up to him. I had a feeling that whoever had caused the scar, hadn't lived very long to tell the tale. The thought made me flinch, and I saw his smile grow wider when he noticed.

"Mitch," He nodded towards me, ignoring the venomous shaking of my head. "It's been too long, hasn't it?" I felt myself tightening - he spoke to me as though nothing had happened - as though he hadn't stalked me, or tried to kill me. He spoke as if we were still old friends.

"Hardly." I snapped back, "And don't call me Mitch." I growled, my eyes focused squarely on his. I didn't trust him - I was afraid to look away because I didn't know what he would do. Everyone had always said he wasn't dangerous, but I knew better. They hadn't seen the _real_ person that I had - he'd put on an act the moment anyone else had come around. The difference was that I was on to him.

"Well I see you still have that rebellious spark in you." He rolled his eyes, almost looking bored, and immediately I tensed, knowing he was up to something. I wasn't wrong, either.

In a split second, he'd launched forwards, slamming me up against the wall. The hard, cold brick smashed against my back, and I bit my lip to keep from groaning. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt me.

"Look here, Mitch," He growled, pushing harder, "You've lost, and I've won, you little worthless loser." He snapped, anger flashing in his eyes.

"I know that!" I yelled, attempting to shove him away. "I've already told you that, a million times! Why won't you believe me - do you seriously think anyone believes I won? Don't you understand - I know, _you won_. So take your stupid trophy and leave me alone. Go find someone else to be your victim." Against my will, tears were clouding my vision, but still I refused to cry. _Not in front of him._

Suddenly, his grip loosened, and he released me. I dropped down to the floor, my head shooting up in confusion, and my eyes widening as I saw what had happened. He fell to the floor, Joe on his back, and I shot up, immediately rushing forwards. _Oh, please don't hurt him._ I sucked in my breath, grabbing at Joe's shoulder in an attempt to pull him off. I couldn't stand to see him hurt Joe - I honestly didn't care what happened to me, but I didn't want someone else getting hurt because he was angry with _me_.

He shoved Joe away, causing both of us to go tumbling down, landing with a hard thud against the stone floor. Ignoring the pain in my back, I lauched to my feet, stepping between Joe and him. His eyes bore a hole into me as he rose to his feet, glaring angrily at the two of us (mostly me).

"This is _far_ from over." He snapped, sending a chill down my spine, before he turned, walking briskly towards the cell door. "And no food for any of you today because of your little antics." He growled, the door slamming shut behind him.

With a groan, my eyes travelled over to where Joe was pushing himself to his feet, one hand on his back. Quickly, I extended my hand, but he only waved me away before standing up, his eyes flickering over to me.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and I gave a small nod, ignoring the small pain in my back and instead focusing on Joe. I didn't understand why he'd tried to help me - why had Joe stood up against _him_? Didn't he know how strong _he_ was - and what he was capable of?

"Why did you do that?" I exclaimed, glaring at Joe. Didn't he know that he could've been seriously injured? "Are you ok?" I asked quickly, hoping that he did know I was worried about him. I had some idea what _he_ was able to do, with the flick of his wrist.

"I'm ok. What was I supposed to do - stand there and let him hurt you?" Joe replied, staring at me, his expression hurt. "I don't care, whether I know your name or not - I'm not just going to sit there and watch him call you names and treat you like that." His tone was harsh, but I knew he wasn't angry at me, and instead I stepped closer, cautiously. Watching his expression carefully, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." I whispered, and although I'd felt him tense at first, he now relaxed and returned the hug.

And then the silence returned - for now.


	4. Four

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm finally updating :) Not a super-long chapter, but at least it's something :) I'm going to try to update 'Sound of Truth' next (hopefully), so stay tuned for that! Also, if you want to know when I'll be updating or am writing, my Twitter username is 'worldofdemi'. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own CR..... *sigh***

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**I **was still shaking, even though it was long ago that he'd left. I knew I shouldn't have let him bother me like that, but I couldn't help the instinctive emotion of fear when I saw him. After all these years... I shook my head slightly, my mind travelling back to a time long, long ago...

_"Get over here, Mitch!" His voice was teasing, and I was well aware of the smirk on his face. Replying with a smile, I stepped to his side, surveying the small crowd. It might not be a Hollywood party, but it was special to me. He had thrown it specially for me, and because of that, there was that warm glow of satisfaction, plus those awful butterflies in my stomach. I smiled brightly, wrapping my arms around him as I pulled him into a tight hug._

_"Thank you." I smiled softly, staring up into his brown eyes and watching his smile grow wider._

I forced myself to break off the memory, fully aware of what would happen if I began to dwell in the past. I couldn't let it happen again- I unwillingly remembered the years that had passed while I simply sat their, wasting my life wishing that things had been different. I wouldn't go back. _Focus on something else, Mitchie._

Turning my attention to the three brothers, I noticed that both Nick and Joe were fast asleep. A small smile graced my lips as I watched the two brothers sleeping peacefully, the past day's events long forgotten while they slept. Only Kevin seemed to be unable to sleep, turning to glance at me when he noticed my eyes on him.

"Are you ok?" He asked quietly, being careful not to wake his brothers. I nodded, so sick of everyone asking me that but yet still being strangely comforted by the words. Maybe it was the fact that people had stopped asking me that a long time ago, or the fact that I hadn't really had that many people take an interest in me. I smiled back, noting that he was still watching me, concern in his expression. I dared to hope that maybe- just maybe- I had found a friend.

_Friend_. The word rang in my head, sounding numb on my tongue, and striking all the way down to my heart. _Friend_. I hardly dared to believe it, pushing my hope away, because I knew the moment you allowed people to affect you, they crushed you. They broke you- shattered you into a million little pieces that will never be found again.

'_Everyone in your life is going to hurt you- you just have to decide who's worth the pain'_.

* * *

I leaned my head back against the wall, trying to sleep. However, it seemed I wasn't going to be doing any such thing tonight. My stomach was growling and my body was aching- and my heart was hurting. Too many thoughts were swirling in my head, too many noises ringing in my ears. I glanced over towards the still forms of the Lucas Brothers, noting that even Kevin had eventually fallen asleep. Fighting back a groan, I attempted to get more comfortable against the cold stone wall, but it seemed impossible.

A hardly noticeable yawn caught my attention, my eyes flickering back towards the brothers. Joe was slowly getting up, glancing at his brothers in the process, before his gaze flickered around and landed on me, noticing I was still awake.

"Hey." He slowly eased out from his brothers, rising and coming over to the opposite wall, where I currently sat. He moved to sit beside me, but he noticed how I tensed slightly, and instead sat a few feet away. "Can't sleep?" He stated the obvious, and I nodded, a small sigh escaping from my lips. Why, why, _why_?

"Yeah." I responded, deciding to go ahead and be honest with him. I had no reason to distrust him- yet past experiences had taught me that trust must be earned, not given freely. However, my past behind, I was stuck in this small cell with the Lucas Brothers, and I had no proof that we _weren't_ going to be here for a long, long time. It wouldn't be like him to just get things over with quickly.

"So..." Joe looked hesitant, glancing towards me, his eyes showing a glint of curiosity. "Do you want to tell me who that man is and why... well, everything?" It was sudden, but I expected that much. I glanced at his solemn expression, my chest tightening as I thought of what he was asking, and almost immediately I shook my head, dropping my head, slightly upset now. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked-" Joe began, but I quickly shook my head.

"It's not you- it's _me_." I tried to keep my voice from cracking, but I couldn't help but cut myself off. "I let him do this- I've let him control my thoughts, my emotions. I let him ruin me." I sighed, realizing how I was starting to spill my soul out to a (somewhat) stranger, but I couldn't stop myself. All these years of holding everything inside- I hadn't realized how much I still remembered _him_. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be spilling this all on you." I replied hesitantly, glancing uncertainly at him.

"It's ok." Joe responded immediately, as if willing me to go on, but I leaned my head back against the wall, bring my walls back up around me. I couldn't leave myself unguarded for very long- I didn't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to let my guard down. Joe seemed to notice my crestfallen expression. "So.... did you seriously not recognize us?" He asked instead, and I almost laughed at how easily he changed the subject, sensing the tension.

"Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention that much. I had other things on my mind than worrying about who else had the poor misfortune of being stuck with me." Joe chuckled, shooting me a small smile.

"At least you're not a crazed fan... at first, we were terrified you were going to be. All the screaming.... ugh." He shuddered, and I couldn't help but smile at the picture. I'd seen JONAS fans... insane little creatures they were. I had always wondered how they could be so into just three people- three musicians who simply loved what they did.

"Yeah, don't worry... you're not Demi Lovato." I joked quietly, and watching as Joe gave a quiet laugh from beside me. It was then that I noticed that he was much closer than before- if I wanted to, I could simply extend my hand and touch him. Great, I'm pretty sure that makes me sound a little JONAS-obsessed. But I didn't mean it in that way, so 'whatevs', as most the kids say this day.

I felt my eyes closing involentarily, and I fought to keep them open, not wanting to sleep just yet while I was finally having a normal conversation with someone. I didn't want to let that go just yet- I didn't know when this would happen again. Joe noticed, however, and visibly moved closer until our shoulders were almost touching.

"Go ahead, go to sleep. We can talk more later." He insisted, and I smiled thankfully at him, asleep before I could even respond.


	5. Five

**A/N: Long time no story, I see.... I'm really, terribly sorry, but I just lost interest in FF for a little while. I'm still not quite sure if I like it or not, but after I re-read 'Paranoid', I realized I needed to update very, very badly. Plus, I owe it to you guys, since it has been almost four months since I've written anything. I am so, so, SO sorry! Hopefully this chapter will make up for it a little- it's my longest chapter yet, and it took me five days to write. It's over 7,000+ words (which is a world record for me :) and literally did take me over five days to write, all for you wonderful readers/reviewers :) So.... without further ado, since I've already made you wait 4 months, here is the fifth chapter of 'Paranoid'! Enjoy, and feel free to drop a review if you'd like :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own CR/JONAS, or anything else you recognize. I only own my made-up characters (Not Mitchie + Lucas Brothers). Please forgive me for any spelling/grammar issues, some of this was written late at night. Enjoy!**

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**T**hat night, I dreamt. Of course, dreaming in itself is not a bad thing, but when your dreams are of the past, present, and the future mixed all together, it almost always spells out trouble. In my case, anyways, it most certainly did.

I'd tried to block out the memories, tried to avoid even thinking about what had happened, and what would happen, but you don't have much control when it's late at night, you're halfway unconscious, and the dreams begin. At first, they always start out ok, and then you'll see maybe, _his_ face pop into the dream, and you know it's only going downhill from there. The only thing that dreams can lead to is broken memories and scars that run so deep that they will never be healed completely- or at least, they make the memories worse by unwillingly bringing them up, not allowing you to push them away, to deny them.

_It started out peacefully. _

_I was sitting under my favorite tree, staring up at the clouds as my best friend and I tried to find shapes among them. The pure, innocent happiness that swelled up inside me would've brought tears to my eyes, had I been awake. It felt so good to be young and oblivious again, with my long-gone best friend lying next to me as if it was only us, and there was no one else in the world but us. Those had been the days. _

_All was quiet around us as we stared up at the sky, our imaginations working hard as we struggled to beat each other at finding more shapes. "I see a bird," She cried, pointing up at a cloud that did look very much like an bird in mid-flight. I laughed, a loud, clear, pure sound that had instantly raised my spirits and reinforced the joy that was already coursing through my veins. It had been so long since we'd done this, and it felt so amazing to feel... _alive _again. _

_The scene quickly changed, though, as I glanced over to find that she was gone. Panic stricken, I jumped to my feet, spinning around to only to find she had completely disappeared. What had happened- where had she gone? "Jayden!" I yelled, my eyes widening and my heart racing as I desperately searched for her. Where was she? _

_A voice beside me made my blood run cold, and I froze in place at the sound. My eyes unwillingly travelled to where a new girl was standing, and I held back a shudder. But the girl was smiling, laughing, pulling me along with her, as if we were as carefree as before._

_"Shannon." I whispered, my heart still pounding in my chest at the danger she presented. But she wasn't responding- at least not the way I had expected. No- she was shaking her head, attempting to drag me across the floor, and with a dull surprise I realized we were no longer outside, but in a large bowling alley, surrounded by hundreds of other people. How had I not noticed them before? _

_"Come on silly." Shannon cried, still tugging on my wrists. Hesitantly, I followed her, still unsure of what was going on. However, I still kept my guard up- I was not stupid enough to let her in once again, without knowing this time whether she was being honest or if this was just another game she was playing, toying with me. I decided for now, to see what she wanted, since I was sure if she had bad intentions, she would not be treating me as if I was still her best friend. "Come on, we're going to be late, and you know how much your mom hates it when we're late. She worries about us so much sometimes!" _

_'With good reason, of course,' I thought, knowing full well that she had been right in the end. If only I had listened before it was too late..._

_Shannon lead me up to a large group of people, and I realized with a shock that _he_ was among them. He smiled, and now that I knew, I could see the evil that lurked right beneath that seemingly-innocent grin. I felt my stomach turn upside down at the thought, and knew for a fact I was going to be sick later on. _

_"Over here!" He called, his voice completely free of the emotions I'd come to recognize, and I realized that neither him nor Shannon were acting as if anything wrong. No, this was... before everything had happened. I tensed, unsure of what to expect. Who knew what was coming next? Shannon, however, was still walking up to him, as if everything was fine and dandy. I wanted to pull away from her grasp, to scream, to shout, to run. But I stood frozen, unable to think or compose myself. Now Shannon was turning, frowning at me, her face lit up with confusion, and he was staring at me, worry echoed in his eyes. _

_"What's wrong, M? Are you ok?" Shannon asked, "You look as if you've seen a ghost." She stepped forwards, looking concerned, but I quickly shook her off, and it was now that I realized I was shaking with fear. _

_"Maybe I have." I replied quietly, and Shannon cocked her head to the right, lifting an eyebrow, as if she was wondering if she'd heard me correctly. Of course I couldn't let her know that she had, until I had figured out what was going on. Which possibly could take me a little while, since I was beyond confused by now. What in the world was going on? Why was I here, and with these people? I couldn't make sense of up nor down to save my life. _

_But now, _he_ was at my side, along with Shannon, and both were reaching out, as if to steady me. With a shriek, I pulled away, my breath coming in huge gasps as I tried to calm myself down. So far, it wasn't working out. _

_"Hey Mitch, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice laced with concern, and I flinched at the sound, but attempted to conceal the fear bubbling up inside of me. If he was still into acting polite, I didn't want to be the one to break that front. Instead, I forced myself to face them, to force a smile onto my lips, to pretend. _

_"Sorry guys, I think I'm coming down with something. Be right back?" Without waiting for a response, the smiling slipping off my face the moment I turned away from them as I began to run. I didn't know where I was going, but it didn't matter. I needed a moment to breathe, and I wouldn't get it by standing around while he and Shannon attempted to comfort me. That was the last thing I wanted right now. _

_Somehow, I ended up in the bathroom, slamming a stall door shut behind me before I fell to the floor, attempting to stop by pathetic sobbing. Why, why? I knew exactly what this was going to lead to, and I didn't know if I could handle it happening a second time. It had taken me all these years just to get over last time- well, almost, anyway. I had never fully recovered from that last experience, and... I couldn't go back there. I couldn't. _

_I curled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them, as I buried my face, tears still streaming down my face, although slightly less now that I was beginning to gain my control back a little. Note: only a little. I didn't understand what was happening. Maybe the memories really were consuming me- maybe, this would all disappear in a moment and leave me with a dull ache. _

_I heard the door being slammed open, and urgent footsteps thudding against the tiled floor, and I knew instantly that it was Shannon, who had obviously followed me as I tore away from the group. My head reeling, my mind working once again, I jumped up as silently as possible, wiping the tears from my eyes and praying she wouldn't know I had been crying. _

_"M?" Her voice rang through the empty bathroom, and I quietly opened the stall door, immediately plastering a fake smile on my face as my eyes met hers. My heart beating wildly, I attempted to conceal all emotion from my face, except that of the one thing I didn't feel: apology. "M, are you ok?" She asked, stepping forwards, and it took all my willpower not to move back, putting distance between us. I couldn't let her know that I wasn't as clueless as she'd been assuming. _

_"Fine, I'm so sorry! That food didn't settle well in my stomach, I kinda freaked for a moment 'cause I didn't want to throw up or anything." I forced myself to laugh, forced myself to make the pathetic giggling sound real, for both our sakes. Shannon must have bought it, or maybe she just wasn't going to push me, because she returned the laughter, shaking her head. _

_"You're a mess, ya know that, Mitch?" She joked it off, but her words stung, especially more so because they were true. I was a mess- a terrible, weak, broken, walking mess. Her words hit home without her even knowing it. If she had, I knew she would have been more than pleased, and this made it hurt more. "It's fine, think you feel okay enough to come back and join us? The others are worried, since you just ran off without an explanation. And you looked really pale." _

_"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, the fake smile still playing on my lips as I forced it not to falter, knowing that Shannon's sharp eyes missed nothing. "So, who else is here?" I asked, attempting to make small talk to turn the attention away from myself. It worked, because a few moments later, she was rambling off names of people that I knew very little, and I had stopped listening, my thoughts racing as I tried to figure out how I would be able to spend this night with them without panicking, or bolting again, or alerting them to the fact I no longer had that innocent streak that they had so happily taken away from me. _

_We had exited the bathroom, and he was waiting by the door, eyeing me worriedly, and I forced myself to grin, brushing him off as Shannon explained what was 'wrong' with me, or at least, what I had told her was wrong with me. Thank-goodness she had believed me, or else I didn't even want to imagine the situation I'd be in. _

_I felt myself relaxing slightly. _They bought it_, my mind reminded me, _for now there's no reason to run._ This was how things had been, before... I blocked the thought from my mind, shaking my head to rid myself of it. Not now, I reminded myself, returning my attention to them. They had begun walking back towards the large group all hanging out by the bowling lanes, and I quickly hurried to catch up to them before they noticed I had been lagging. They weren't exactly stupid people, as I had learned quickly. _

_Laughter floated to my ears, along with loud, blaring music, and the general noises of arcade games and people talking noisily. I flinched inwardly, wondering how they could be so oblivious- so wonderfully, amazingly oblivious- to the two dangerous allies that walked among them. I wished I could be like those people- so wrapped up in conversation, or just their general lives, that they were blissfully unaware of the malice, the evil, the horror that was lurking among them, wearing the faces of angels, their halos shining brightly for all to see. _

_Others greeted me, their faces just a blur, and if someone had asked me what I'd said to them, I would honestly have no clue. My lips moved, mouthing words my ears refused to hear, as I smiled and laughed, pushing down the intense fear that was building up. Slowly, as the evening wore on, I began to relax and actually enjoy myself. Why had I hated them so much, again? I couldn't remember. All I was aware of was my own laughter, bubbling up from deep inside my belly, and for an instant I was back with Jayden, counting clouds and carefree once again. The thought horrified me, as I realized I had done it yet again - all these feelings I'd worked so hard to push down, deep, deep down inside of me for so many years had bubbled up, bring back the doubt that Shannon and he were really all that bad, and that everyone telling me so was just being silly. It felt so good, so amazing, to be among them again, laughing and talking, pushing and playing, and to forget about what they'd done. How they'd ruined my life. How they'd broken me- shattered me, into pieces so small it had been impossible to repair. _

_I was smiling, as Shannon played with my hair, as fleetingly I remembered her lack of boundries, and for that split second, I wanted to shudder at the fact she was touching me. But it quickly passed, as I told myself I was just being paranoid- somehow, Shannon and he had forgotten about our past together. _

_And just as quickly as I had relaxed, forgetting about the two dangerous beings sitting right beside me, myself squished together between them, the scene had changed, and the bowling alley, the people, and the flashing lights disappeared as quickly as they had come. I was lying on my side, the ground damp and hard beneath me, and my wrists were bound with ropes that were cutting deep into my skin. It was dark, a heavy stench reaching my nose, and I shook my head in disgust at the vile smell. What was it? Where was I- where was Shannon? Where was he? _

_I was soon to be slammed against a brick wall, which would shake me to the core, and put any thoughts of us as friends out of my mind. _He_ walked in, and vaguely I wondered why he looked so angry, so spiteful. We were friends, were we not? _

_And then he was pulling me up, all gentleness pushed aside, and slamming me up against something solid, and then it all came back. The running. The fear. The reason we _weren't_ friends. And in that instant, I realized how easily I had tricked myself. The thought sickened me. It was as if I truly _wanted_to believe everything was ok- we were friends again. I really was as weak as they said- my heart was weak- still longing to be a part of their circle after everything they'd done to me. I hated myself- I hated myself with every bone in my body for the terrible ache in my chest that still longed for them- to be their friend, to be accepted by them. _

_"Look," His voice was as I'd come to recognize it: harsh, relentless, and without mercy. "Little jerk. Or should I call you Little Poor Mitchie? Poor Mitchie, who never saw this coming, who never would've dreamed that her supposed 'family', as you called me, would've done this. Oh no, not Poor Mitchie, who couldn't see a truck coming to save her life. And now, the truck's run you over, and you're good as dead, and what are your dying words? Repeated, over and over again, in the same mindless manner... 'But we were friends'. Poor dead Mitchie, who still refuses to see the light, to embrace the dark, and to see me for who I really am." _

_I panicked. I knew exactly what would happen next, and I couldn't stand to endure it a second time. Screaming, I attempted to push him away, to run, to cry out for someone to save me, oh save me from this fate I've destined myself to. Save me, please save me, because I've learned that I'm incapable of saving myself. I flung myself away from him, hysterical, as I bolted, although I already knew there was no where to go. There was no escape- no one to save me from this nightmare I created. _

_He was laughing in the background- the kind of maniacal, evil scientist laugh that you only hear in movies. His voice was terrible, echoing, and I was screaming, thrashing, desperately trying to escape from this nightmare. _

_There was no escape, no escape at all..._

_And now there was another voice, three, actually, all so far away and jumbled together, and I couldn't make sense of what was going on. The room was dark, and his laughter was far away, so far away, fading quicker with each moment..._

I woke with a start, jerking upright was another scream as I backed away from the three, dark figures, my heart in my throat. What was going on? Who were these people, and what were they doing here? Where was _he_? This wasn't how the scene had gone.

Slowly, I realized the figures were calling my name, and I noted a mixture of confusion, concern, and panic in their voices. I forced myself to calm- to figure out what was going on before I panicked further. Dimly, the small window in the cell allowing some moonlight in, I recognized the three figures as Joe, Kevin, and Nick. Instantly, my racing heart calmed, and I released a shaky breath, my body still trembling uncontrollably.

"It was just a dream, just a dream, that's all." Nick said loudly, cautiously stepping towards me, and, seeing that I wasn't moving away and was no longer screaming, the three boys rushed closer, worried faces staring down at me, still hesitant of how I was going to react. Taking deep breaths, I forced myself to calm down, realizing I was in no immediate danger and that it really had all just been a dream.

"Yeah. Just a dream." I echoed dully, knowing it had been so much more than just that. It had been memories of the past- both real and altered, both hurtful and full of truth, and yet my mind had been clouded with confusion. It had been another stab to my heart- another slow, agonizing death that never came.

"Are you okay? We heard you screaming..." Kevin stated the obvious, and I raised my eyes to him, offering him a small, hardly visible smile. I couldn't force myself to grin, not now, not after I'd just been reminded of... things.

"I'll be fine." I brushed them off, pulling myself up into a sitting position and taking another deep breath. "Dreams can't hurt you, right?" I laughed, although it was forced and not the least bit funny, because I'd just lied to both them, and myself, in an attempt to calm myself down. Closing my eyes, I managed to even out my breathing, and my heart pace returned to almost-normal. _Hold your breath. Count to ten. Release...._

When I finally looked back up again, the three boys were still standing there, looking concerned, but I blew them off, just wanting to forget about the dream, and about him, and about everything, at least until morning. The darkness fed my fears, reminding me of the times before...

"I hate this." I whispered under my breath, and I saw the boys couldn't tell what I'd said, thankfully, because they gave no reaction to it what-so-ever. I raised my voice, returning my attention to them and managing to offer a small smile, although it was still filled with sadness. "I'll be okay, really, go back to sleep." I replied gently, still pushing back the tears until I knew they were far enough away. I didn't want to bother them with my troubles- they had already gone out of their way to check on me, and I didn't feel like keeping them up any longer. Slowly, Nick and Kevin nodded, both returning to their previous positions, before I had bothered them with my screaming, but Joe didn't move. He stared at me, and once again I offered a weak smile, waving him back towards his brothers. "Go." Joe, however, shook his head at me.

"No," He replied, his tone firm yet gentle, and I had a feeling he wasn't going to leave, despite my efforts and need to be alone. I just wanted to be alone and focus on blocking out the horrible pictures still flashing into my mind. "I'm not just going to leave you alone right now. That's not what you need, and I know that for a fact." Instead of backing away, he came closer, this time ignoring the way I flinched as he sat down beside me, the memories of _him_ still fresh in my mind. I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with Joe sitting right next to me, so close we were almost touching. If I only leaned a little to the right, our shoulders would bump together. I smiled uncomfortably at him, wondering if I was able to be rude enough to move away, even just slightly.

"There was once a boy who, too, thought that dreams couldn't hurt anyone, because they weren't real. He quickly learned, though, that he was mistaken. Dreams, real or not, _can_ hurt. They can destroy hopes, create them, or crush us down until we're nothing more than twisted beings, with no sense of what's up or down, what's right or wrong." Joe's voice was low, so as not to interrupt Nick and Kevin too much, but the tone of his voice made me suspect that there was more behind his story of this 'boy' then he let on. Maybe he understood me more than I'd first guessed, because his tone implied that this 'story', although very simple, was very personal to him. I released a sigh, knowing that he had opened up to me, and now it was my turn. His eyes, full of unsaid sympathy, met mine, and with a loud swallow, I replied.

"And once you've allowed your dreams so much control over you, it's nearly impossible to fix yourself- to go back to the way you were before. You'll always be broken and twisted, always unable to tell between up and down, real or false." These few sentences seemed to calm both of us- in a strange way, we understood one another. I still hesitated, my mind flashing back to how easily I had let my guard down around him and Shannon, and how much it had cost me in the end. But, in my heart, I knew Joe was different than them, and it was this that caused me to, after letting out a soft sigh, bring my walls down temporarily. '_Now is not the time for secrets between friends,'_ My mind reminded me, _'Tell him a little, not all, but most'_.

Joe leaned closer to me, our shoulders now touching, and immediately I jerked back, starting, my heart leaping into my throat. Quickly, I reminded myself that he wasn't going to hurt me, and I forced myself to relax, releasing a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry," I muttered softly, glancing up at him. I didn't need to explain why, since I knew by his expression he already understood, and had forgiven me. "This is hard for me," I admitted, deciding to be honest with him. "This whole situation is... _hard_ on me." His gaze flickered away from me for a moment, and I felt him tense slightly. I closed my mouth, my lips pressed firmly against each other, and waited for him to speak.

"I once heard someone say that the first step is the hardest- the first mile is the longest." I frowned slightly, wondering where he was going with his random quoting, but decided to wait and let him finish. He turned to look at me again, his eyes staring straight into mine, as if he was trying to read my mind while he opened his. "And that was one hundred percent true. The first step _is_ the hardest, no matter what others might say or do. The only way to reach your goal is in here-" He tapped his chest gently, pointing to his heart, "No one else can tell you how or what to do to make it through that first step, but once you get past it, the rest gets easier. Each step in the right direction is lighter, and better than the last." He glanced at me, probably wondering if I understood what he was saying, and I nodded in return, willing him to go on. "Eventually things will get better, once you make that first step." At his words, I frowned, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"Make the first step to..." I trailed off, hoping he would finish the sentence, and he chuckled quietly before going on.

"Make the first step towards breaking free." He replied, and I cocked my head, still wondering exactly what he was talking about. I doubted he was talking about actually breaking out, although he very well could be, at which point I would shake my head and move away again, since I already knew that there was no escape from _him_. "Breaking yourself free." Joe repeated, softer this time, staring at me as if willing me to understand. "Break free from your past." He, again, tilted his head towards me, and I now understood, lowering my head to hide the shame that crossed my expression.

"I've tried." I whispered in return, refusing to meet his eyes. "I've tried- I really have."

"The first step is the hardest." He agreed, and I was about to nod when I realized he wasn't finished speaking yet. "But you have to _make_ that first step for it to become easier." I froze, knowing that what he said was true. All these years, I had tried and tried, but I still hadn't had the strength, or the will, to make that first step, and that's why he was still affecting me so easily. Because I'd been the one balking at making the first step towards freedom. I'd been the one holding myself back all these years.

At first, red hot rage filled me- not at Joe for realizing my fault, but at myself for being stupid. For being weak. For being unable to do anything but stay in the little rut I'd dug for myself. For letting my heart rule my head. For letting my conflicting emotions get the best of me. For _everything_ that had happened over the last three years.

Seeing my rage and my fists balling up, Joe shook his head, placing a hand on my shoulder as if to stop me. I glanced at him briefly, still too concerned with my feelings of self-hate to care about what he was going to say next.

"Whoa, Mitchie, I didn't mean to make you angry. Listen-" He paused, waiting until he had my full attention to continue. "- I only said something, because I can see that if you make that first step, you won't be so angry at yourself- you won't care about him. Once you make that first step, you'll almost be free. Isn't that what you want- freedom from all of this?" He glanced at me curiously, as if wondering what I was thinking. When he saw the glare I gave him in return, he let go of my shoulder and turned away, leaning back against the wall.

"It's sad when people you know, become people you knew. When you can walk right past someone like they were never a big part of your life. How you used to be able to talk for hours, and now, you can barely even look at them." His voice was soft, and I had to strain just to catch his words, but they hit me just like the brick wall in my dream had- or just as hard anyway. I ducked my head as silent tears began to roll down my cheeks at Joe's comment, trying to keep Joe from noticing, but with the moonlight still lighting up my face, I saw Joe glance over and his eyes widen, partly in surprise, and partly in pity. Without a word, he turned, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a much-needed hug.

"Shush..." He whispered, although I still continued to cry silently, my head now buried in his chest as he tried to comfort me. "You can be free, if you really want to." He continued, and I flinched. He had no idea the countless hours I had spent attempting to stop the never-ending thoughts and scenarios running through my head, or the multiple times I'd screamed into my pillow, wishing the world would didn't know how much of my life I had wasted trying to stop my own self.

I didn't reply- I didn't have to. Instead I gripped him, allowing him to rock me back and forth gently while he rubbed my back, still trying to sooth me. And slowly, holding onto him as if he was my lifeline, my eyes slid closed, and yet still he held me, softly muttering under his breath. And finally, before I drifted off, I realized that there was someone who understood me after all.

* * *

I awoke that morning to Joe's voice in my head.

_'__It's _sad_ when _people_ you know, _become_ people you _knew_...When you can _walk_ right past _someone_ like they were _never_ a _big _part of your _life_. How you_ used _to be able to talk for hours, and now...you can_ barely _even look at them...'_

With a frown, I shook my head, hoping to clear the thought from my mind. I didn't want to do this- to dwell on the fact he and I were now sworn enemies, or the fact that we would never again be able to go back to our relationship before. _You can break free, if you really want to_... Oh, he had no idea how much my heart yearned to be free.

I glanced over at where Joe was still sleeping beside me, and chuckled quietly at his soft snoring. I was somewhat surprised to see that he'd stayed beside me the whole night, and yet I had known he wouldn't leave me. He really could be sweet, and it wasn't hard to see why all those teenage girls were so into him. He was smart, intelligent, and caring. Maybe if we hadn't met this way, things could've been different. If only it hadn't been for _him_.

Of course, once I'd thought about it, I had to remind myself that it was thanks to him that we'd met. If _he_hadn't chased me down and locked me in this small, dirty cell, I'd never have met Joe, and I never would have had the opportunity to - possibly, just possibly- stop this chain of thoughts, this continuous cycle that I'd set myself in. After our talk last night, I felt I had a new energy, a new will to make that first step.

A noise beside me broke into my thoughts, and I turned my head to see what had caused it, my natural instinct of fear kicking in. Quickly, I remembered _why_ I'd become so afraid in the first place, and the ultimate reason I would never break away.

_He_ was standing beside me, and when he saw I'd noticed him, he grabbed hold of my arm, quickly stopping me from running, and he pulled me to my finger, placing a finger to his lips as he glanced over at the still-asleep Lucas Brothers, and then Joe, his eyes narrowing slightly. I opened my mouth, ready to give a warning cry, but his rough hand shot out and clasped firmly over my lips as he glared at me.

"Not a word," He breathed, his breath tickling my ear, "Or it'll be the worst for both of you. If you have any idea what's good for you, you'll keep quiet until I say differently." His voice was like a hiss, snapping and coiling in my mind, and I froze on the spot at the threat that lurked behind them. Of course, he always had had a threatening tone, but this was different, much more malicious. I nodded shortly, and he pulled his hand away from my mouth, still watching me carefully for any signs I would struggle and wake the Lucas Brothers. I had the opportunity, I knew, but even if I could, I don't think I would. I wouldn't put them knowingly in the way of danger, and I didn't want them to get hurt defending me. Better to have his attention focused on me than them. I already knew most of his tricks, although he never failed to surprise.

His hand firmly gripping my arm, his eyes still tracing my move, he pulled me towards the door, his footsteps so light that they were almost non-existent. I was fairly certain he'd practiced this numerous times until he'd become nearly perfect at it, and for a reason. Everything he did was for a reason, which was normally exposed at the end, which lead to him quickly 'taking care of things' so that he could play his twisted game over and over again, with hundred of different victims, each that had no warning whatsoever of the drama and disaster that he would lead to.

The sound of the cell door sliding back into place and the heavy bolt turning quickly brought me back from my thoughts. Now less cautious, I could hear his footsteps thudding softly against the stone floor as he lead me down the long corridor that contained hundred of other cells like the one that I and the Lucas Brothers were sharing. Briefly, I wondered how many of these vile cells he'd used so far. How many other people had he tortured down here? The thought filled me with a hopeless dread, and I quickly tried to shake the thought from my mind. He must have noticed, because a twisted grin danced on his lips.

Finally, he turned, and we began to ascent up and old, twisting staircase. I was glad to be rid of the numerous prisons, but afraid of what I was going to find when I reached the top of the stairs. His grip on my arm hadn't loosened in the slightest, and that fact made me more nervous. He knew I couldn't escape- I wouldn't try, either, since the Lucas Brothers were still in the cell below us, and I couldn't leave them, knowing how much his anger would turn against them if I did, and the horrible consequences that it would cause. So instead I resorted to walking meekly behind him, quietly following him without even attempting to make a fuss. Foolish? I'll say. But since there was really no other path I could take, I had to play along, at least for now.

My eyes slid to a small door as he nodded, and the door swung open silently, apperantly on it's own. This, in itself, should've freaked me out, but after being around him for so long, I'd come to accept these things as natural. He had his own, strange way of appearing powerful and terrifying, and he did this on purpose to scare his victims. Well, I'd been with him before, and I knew this for a fact, and hence this, in a strange way, helped me to calm down a little. I didn't understand it but somehow, knowing to expect the unexpected, helped me to stop shaking, if even in just the slightest.

The room was dark, and at first I was unable to see anything, even he disappeared into the shadows, pulling me along with him. I tensed, unsure of what surprises the darkness would hold, and stumbled as he shoved me backwards. Terrified I was going to fall, I flung my arms out, only to have my butt hit something solid a few moments later. With a great relief, I realized he had simply pushed me into a chair. Groping in the darkness, I pulled myself up, waiting for my eyes to adjust. Slowly, they did, and I found that he was sitting across from me, his brown eyes studying me, and I gave him a hard glare, attempting to conceal the fear that was beginning to build up. He probably knew me too well for that, though, since at one time, I had poured out my soul to him, but it was still worth a try.

"So, Mitchie, what have you been up too all these years that you managed to evade me?" He asked nonchalently, almost as if we were capable of having a normal conversation, and I was uncomfortably reminded of my dream, and how it had turned out. Red hot anger flared up inside me- why did he continue to act like we could behave like decent people around each other?

"What I did has nothing to do with you, Dain." I snapped, and his eyebrows raised at the malicious tone I had suddenly acquired. "Why would it have anything to do with you?" I leaned back unhappily, crossing my arms, angry at myself for letting my emotions get the best of me once again. Dain smirked, and even in the darkness I could tell he was pleased with my reaction.

"Your tone implies otherwise, my dear Mitchie. If what you said was true, you would not be here right now. Do you know why you are here, Mitch?" He asked, his tone even, although I could sense the hidden emotion in his voice. It was both filled with pleasure, and completely dangerous. I held back a groan, biting my lip.

"Because you dragged me here," I replied, in the same even tone, "Because, despite my attempted escape, you surrounded me- you and your army, which you will soon replace once they discover the horror within you - and bring me here, and then sit down and attempt to have a halfway decent conversation with me? So actually, no, although I probably would guess that you just want don't want any evidence around, and have decided to be rid of me." I knew this was true, and mentally I noted the fact that he didn't bother to deny it.

He shrugged his shoulders, as if the subject we were discussing was not all that important and he was rather bored with all the talk.

"Well, dear Mitchie, you simply always were the kind that liked to read too far into things." He replied, and I felt a cold chill at the double meaning his words held. His calm pretense was just that- a façade, as it were. He was like a snake just waiting for me to give him an excuse to strike. Well, I'd played this game before, and I knew how to avoid getting bitten- or at least dodge the deadly venom.

I didn't reply, because I knew that's what he wanted. Instead I bit my lip and looked away, examining the many cracks running up and down the stone walls. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, the sudden anger that lit up his eyes, but I pretended to be oblivious.

"Look at me, Mitch." His voice was low, and this time he didn't bother to hide the malice in his tone. Obviously he knew I was on to him, and that was something he wasn't used to, and hence he'd lost his patience. Slowly, I returned my gaze to him, trying to block all emotion from my face, and could only hope it was working. But he knew me so well, I was quite sure it wasn't. "I didn't want it to come to this, but-"

_Psh,_ the thought flew through my mind, and I wondered how he could act so civil, even after I'd _seen_ him. Didn't he know that I _knew_ what he was? How could he do this... make me remember all the days I thought he was innocent, and even after I'd seen him in action, still make me believe that maybe, there was some good in him. How?

I felt tears pricking at the corner of my eyes- weak, I was _weak_, and I hated it. I wanted to blame it on him- it was _him_ that did this to me, but in my heart I knew it was my own fault. Everything, it had turned out to be my fault. Mostly because I left my heart open- I'd trusted him, even _liked_ him, although I had been stupid and blind then. Unfortunate for myself, I had learned the hard way some people are not what they seem.

"Why aren't you listening?" The hissing tone broke into my thoughts, and I turned back to face him unwillingly. "As I was saying, before you so rudely stared dazedly into space," he continued, now knowing that he had my attention again, "You never answered my question directly. Do you or do you not know why you are here?"

I didn't want to answer him- I had a pretty good idea, but I wouldn't dare to speak it aloud.

"Well," He answered, when I made no move to reply to him, "Actually, you are here for two reasons. One- of course I had to deal with you after we had our little issue- I needed to... _sort things out_." I knew exactly what he meant by 'sort things out', and I wanted no part of it. "And secondly- well, the second reason you are here just so happened to work out perfectly, since originally it had created a problem. You, my dear little friend, will take care of the Lucas Brothers for me."


	6. Six

**A/N: **_Hey guys :) New chapter again - sorry it took me so long to write this and actually get it posted, these chapters take me a lot longer than other stories' chapters do, because I want them to be longer and... deeper than most. And I have to be in a certain mood to write these, haha XD Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter, please review with your thoughts after! :D_

_Disclaimer: I do now own Camp Rock, JONAS, or anything at all. Just my little plot :D_

* * *

I couldn't help the horrified shriek that erupted at his words. My hands flew up to my mouth, turning the scream into a squeak, and as I glanced back at him, watching as a triumphant, satisfied spark lit up his eyes, a smirk on the corners of his lips. I couldn't believe my ears- of course, I knew he had dark ulterior motives, but even I hadn't seen this coming. What he was suggesting... it was positively horrifying. I wouldn't do it, of course I wouldn't. What did he think- I was going to... no, I couldn't even think the words in my head. I was too afraid they might become real if I did. He surely couldn't expect me to actually go along with his plan, could he?

His smirk lit up his whole face, and he reached forwards. Before I had the chance to pull away, his hand reached and grabbed onto my wrist, ripping my hands away from my face. If I hadn't still been in shock from what he'd just said, maybe I would have been able to move back in time... but it was rather unlikely.

He pulled me closer, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at his ugly, contorted face. Of course, he may not be a naturally ugly person, but what the person does is what determines how beautiful (or should I say handsome, in this department) they really are. You might be a gorgeous person, but if you're ugly on the inside, you can never be beautiful on the outside. Just saying.

I sucked in a breath, feeling him right next to me, maybe an inch or two away from me at the most, and I felt his hot breath against my cheek.

"You'll do as I ask, Mitchie," His tone held a warning note, making it rather clear that I was to obey him, one way or the other, "Or something very _bad_ will happen to someone you care deeply about." I froze, mentally running through any possible notions as to what he could mean... maybe Joe?

At the thought, I stopped, ducking my head as a blush turned my cheeks a heated red. I was embarrassed- I hardly knew Joe besides the fact that I was locked in the same cell as he and his brothers. I wished fervently that Dain wouldn't notice, but thankfully, he seemed to be preoccupied with some other thought.

"Get up." It took me a second to realize he was talking to me, and I jerked my head up, tensing immediately. He didn't wait for me to respond, however, as he yanked me to my feet, his hand still firmly clamped onto my wrists. "I have someone you might want to meet." His smile, now wicked and dark as he turned to look back at me, made my heart race again. Obviously, he didn't mean the Lucas Brothers, or any of his estranged family members, and hence he had me clueless.

He pulled me out of the dark, cluttered room, and I blinked rapidly as the bright light hit me, temporarily blinding me. It took a second, but I managed to recover as quickly as I could, and staggered after him, although he hadn't even hesitated in the slightest bit. He was determined- this was a bad, bad, very bad sign. He seemed way too eager to show me this mysterious person, which in itself was another bad sign. I bit my lip, wishing I could be anywhere but here.

He halted, pulling something out of his pocket and whipping it around. I flinched, although he didn't hit me with it, and I saw his smile which said he knew he wasn't going to hit me in the first place, but he just liked to 'have a little fun'. He reached around, grasping my waist firmly so I couldn't wriggle away, and pulled him closer to me, before something was suddenly thrust in front of me, blocking off my vision. It took me a moment to realize he had just blindfolded me.

Suddenly, in the dark and unable to see, I felt much more frightened and alone. I felt helpless.

He grabbed hold of my wrists, and I felt him binding them together. I groaned, attempting to pull away, but it only jerks on my wrists, causing me to stumble, yet he didn't hesitate. I felt him knot the rope, and suddenly, he began to walk. I tried my best to keep up with him, having no other choice but to follow. He didn't slow, despite the fact I was tripping and barely able to keep up, instead, his steps quickened, as if he was enjoying my blindly following him. He was a sick, twisted human being. If one could even refer to him as a human... maybe he wasn't really human at all. He certainly didn't have humanly emotions, in the least bit.

He stops in front of me, and I stumble, almost falling over him, but he doesn't bother to catch me, and I fall straight at his feet. Great, just great. I coughed, attempting to find a way to push myself back up when my wrists are tied and I'm blindfolded, and not succeeding very well. He never even once tried to help me up. Finally, I managed to get back onto my own two feet again, and I stood uncertainly, not even quite sure where Dain was- if he was standing next to me, or he'd turned and walked away to leave me who knows where in this evil, dark, forbidden place.

"Well, Mitchie, I do believe you'll want to meet one of my _honored_ guests, right, my dear love?" He asks, his tone sugary sweet, and I stepped away from him, disgusted with his sickening voice. In one swift moment, he grabbed me, pinned me up against him, and ripped off the blindfold.

* * *

Someone was shaking me. Not just the usual, 'it's time to get up, sweetie' type of shaking, but a much more urgent, worried 'Get up now, _please_' way. Still half asleep, my eyes heavy, I pushed the hand away, groaning as I did so. Briefly, I wondered what was so important that I would get woken up at this indecent hour in the morning, but I brushed off the thought as I yawned, opened my eyes, and then jumped in surprise. It had taken me a moment since, still half-asleep, I'd forgotten where we were. Now, in a rush, it all came back to me, and I groaned.

"Get up, Joe." Nick's tone had a hint of urgency in it, and I forced myself to wake up, facing my two brothers/band mates, and furrowing my eyebrows together. It took me a second to realize the fourth member of our "party" wasn't there.

I was on my feet in two seconds, my eyes darting worriedly around the room. Mitchie was no where to be seen, and I panicked as I spun around to face Nick and Kevin.

"Where is she?" I couldn't help the fear that had gripped hold of my heart, wondering where she was and what that psychotic monster had done with her. I swear, if he did so much as lay a finger on her...

"I don't know." Kevin confessed. "We woke up, and she was just gone." His eyes held a unspoken fear, and I knew it was for Mitchie's safety. I closed my own eyes, trying to breathe, trying to make sense of the fact that she wasn't here anymore. Where in the world could she go? Wouldn't we have heard the door open, or her footsteps leaving? Or... anything?

All three of us froze as a strangled cry came from somewhere down the corridor, before it immediately cut itself off, and we all shared a look of horror before I lunged at the door, attempting to see through the top bars. The corridor was bare, except for one lone guard, and there definitely was not hide or hair of the monster (as I so graciously referred to him) or Mitchie. I let out a yell in return, slamming my palm against the bars, my heart nearly splitting in half from the cry we'd just heard.

Nick and Kevin were at my side, pulling me back, in an instant, shaking their heads and telling me to be quiet. I couldn't just keep quiet, not while that monster had ahold of Mitchie.

I was no master at reading people. However, it had been plain to see that Mitchie was terrified of him, and hence, I believed she had a very good reason to be afraid. Although I wasn't sure of exactly why, I still trusted her enough to know that she was in serious danger when he was around, and that she herself was well aware of that exact fact.

Footsteps thudded against the stone floor, and the three of us, once again, stopped, our heads all turning to stare at the door. The guard's ugly, fat face stared back at us.

"Hey! You little Lucas boys better knock it off, or it'll be the worst for you." He warned, his voice gruff, and I felt my hands curl into fists at my side, and Nick and Kevin immediately placed restraining hands on my arm. I continued to glare at him, too busy with worry for Mitchie to even consider the fact that he would pound me to the ground in a moment, probably without even trying.

"Joe!" Nick hissed in my ear, tugging at my arm, "Don't push him!" He warned, and I reluctantly stepped back, trying to ignore the guard's triumphant, taunting face, knowing that it wouldn't help Mitchie any if the guard decided to beat us up. Too bad I didn't listen to Nick and Kevin, or my gut instinct. The guard smirked, and before I could realize what was happening, his fist had shot out and I was falling backwards, my hand covering my eye as I cried out in pain. Both Nick and Kevin jumped after me, catching me before I fell, and the guard only gave a single, loud laugh before he stepped back out of the cell, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"Dude!" Kevin groaned, covering his eyes with his hands for a moment. I glared at him, and protested as Nick grasped my wrist and pulled my own hand away from my eye. With a sigh, he ran his hands through his curly hair and copied Kevin by groaning.

"Well, you've got a black eye. And just when your last one was finally starting to heal." He remarked (although I had already guessed this much), "Well, hopefully this will be the last one you'll get." He finished, narrowing his eyes, although I knew he wasn't really mad at me. Well, maybe he was, just a little bit...

Before I could reply to Nick, all three of us froze. Several voices, all rather high-pitched and nervous, could be heard.

* * *

My breath caught in my throat, and as much as my lungs burned, I couldn't breathe. It was physically impossible at the moment. I couldn't believe what I was seeing...

I closed my eyes, my heart skipping several beats, and uncontrollable tears slipped down my cheeks. _No_.

"Landon." I whispered in horror, my body trembling as the broken boy stared back at me, his eyes shocked and terrified. "No." I choked, cut off as Dain shoved me towards the boy roughly, and I saw him trying to struggle to his feet, his eyes firmly fixed on Dain.

"No." His voice cracked, as if he hadn't spoken in quite a while, and I couldn't hold back the choked sob in my throat. He attempted to step towards me, but failed and fell back to his knees, not even able to stand on his own two feet he was so weak. My entire body felt as if it was on fire as I continued to shake, my heart breaking in half as I continued to stare at Landon, who was vainly trying to push himself up. I wanted to help him- I wanted to run forwards and pull him up, but I was afraid of what might happen if I did. I was afraid to even touch him.

"What is she doing here?" It took me a second to realize Landon wasn't talking to me, but past me, and I flinched as I felt someone casually bump my shoulder as he came to stand beside me, leaning into me. I ducked my head, my body tense, but I was too shocked and scared to move, or to do anything at all except stand there, my heart in my throat. "You promised you wouldn't!" His voice cracked again, although this time from both fear and exhaustion, and this time I stepped forwards, towards him. Although I was still terrified, I wanted to be near him, I wanted to hold him again. I finally understood where he'd been the last six years... the horrible, torturous truth came crashing down on me.

"Landon." I whispered, choking slightly as I kneeled down, my eyes meeting his, which held agony and terror, yet love. I didn't know what to say, or if I even should say anything, and so I remained quiet, leaning forwards to engulf him in a hug.

Before I could move closer, a jerk from behind caught me off guard, making my feet slip out from under me, and I just barely avoided my head smashing into the floor, before I was pulled him, and I caught sight of Dain's annoyed expression, his lips pursed into a thin line. He wasn't happy.

"Well, despite our little deal," Dain snapped, glaring down at Landon angrily, "I had no choice but to bring her here, so yes, I've broken my end of the deal... that's just too bad for both of you, I suppose, but that's not really my problem now." He growled, and I felt a surge of anger rush through me at the way he was talking down to Landon. He was too preoccupied to notice. Hence, I took my shot.

I spun around, my hands flying around to smack him in the neck. I'd been aiming for his face, but... well, any shot was worth it.

He froze for a split second, a look of pure hatred washing over his face, before he turned and slapped me, his fist knocking the breath out of me, and I fell to the ground in a tangled heap, curling into a ball instinctively to avoid any more blows. I heard Landon's angry shout from beside me, but I ignored him as I continued to duck my head, my body trembling as I wondered if Dain would hit me again.

"How could you?" Landon yelled, now rushing into action as he stumbled over to me, as if to shield me from Dain's harsh, wicked expression and blows, and I struggled to sit up, my hands still 'convienently' tied behind my back. Landon's expression showed his pain as I flinched, sucking in my breath (thankfully, I could breathe again, and Dain hadn't caused any permanent damage... that I was aware of, anyways). "You made a promise!" He shouted again, and now that he was closer, I saw how thin he had gotten. I saw the trails of bruises covering his bare arms, and the way he could barely support himself. My heart split in half.

My head was still reeling with confusion. I hadn't even known that Landon was still alive, much less... here, with_ him_. I could hardly believe it- not because it was impossible to believe, but because my heart desperately needed to believe that the conclusion I'd jumped to wasn't real. It wasn't true. It hadn't happened. But, although I wanted to deny it with every part of me, I knew it was the truth.

I closed my eyes, still shaking, and sucked in a deep breath.

Why?

Why was this all happening? Why had I even tried to be friends with Dain and his sister before? Why? Why, why, _why_ had I not run from them, run _away_ from them, and never looked back? If I had just never tried to be friendly, if I had never liked them, if I had just avoided them... I wouldn't be here, Landon wouldn't be here, and none of this would be happening right now. None of this _would_ have happened. All of this horrifying, twisted, sick, disturbing, wicked, horrendous events could have been avoided. Why hadn't I seen how crazy they really were right from the beginning? Why was I so blind?

I didn't realize I was crying until I felt a tear slip down my cheek, and felt a soft touch on my face, wiping away the tear.

"Mitch." The voice was so familiar, yet so foreign, and yet still so comforting. I glanced up, my vision still blurry, and imagined the pain and suffering that he'd probably gone through for the past six years, the pain and suffering that I had been so blissfully aware of. It made me sick to my stomach, just knowing what he'd been through. I wanted to throw up, just at the very thought.

Before I could stop myself, I felt a sick feeling rushing up, into my throat, and I leaned forwards, emptying the contents of my stomach all over Dain's shoes before he could step back. If I hadn't felt like passing out, I might have laughed at the horrified look on his face, but I was more focused on trying to stay awake, and stop the light-headed, dizziness I was feeling. All the memories were coming back, all the tears and nights I spent crying myself to sleep, while all the time Landon had been Dain's prisoner. And worst of all, none of us had even known. No one had known...

I had to resist the urge to throw up again, my lips pressed firmly into a tight line as I tried to control the spinning in my head.

Dain's hand caught the back of my shirt, pulling me to my feet, although he made sure to keep me a few feet away from him.

"That's it!" He roared, his face an ugly shade of red. "Back to your cell with those Lucas boys..." He smirked at me, and unwillingly memories of earlier flicked into my head, of when he'd told me that he wanted me to, in effect, kill them. _Never_.

Never would I become the monster he wanted me to be- never would I become like _him_. Even if it killed me, I would never even lay a finger on Joe, Kevin, or Nick. I wouldn't hurt them just because he wanted someone else to do his dirty work. He was my enemy- my captor- and I wouldn't work for him. Never.

Dain's hand gripped my arm tightly, squeezing it in anger as he dragged me away, away from Landon. I cried out, kicking at him, but he didn't hesitate as he flipped the blindfold back on before lazily throwing me over his shoulder and continuing on, his footsteps thudding loudly against the stone floor. I wished he would put me down so I could swing at him again.

I wasn't quite sure where this new-found confidence, and anger, had come from, but I was pretty sure it had to do with Landon.

I hated Dain. It wasn't a question, it wasn't just a word. I truly, one hundred percent, hated Dain with every fiber in my body. How could he do this to innocent people, and not even _care_? What he did was sickening, horrible, wicked, and so much more, and yet he would just shrug his shoulders as though it was just some nonchalant matter, not something to be given a second thought.

Dain's grip was tight, unrelenting, as if he really, truly wanted to hurt me right now. Not that there had ever been a moment when he hadn't wanted to, but still, this was different. He was angry- and not just the usual anger he felt towards everyone, but something deep inside that had stirred up. I really wished it would just go back into hiding.

I heard footsteps, other than Dain's, scattering, probably running out of his way, and the sound of a door being pushed open. I groaned, hardly able to imagine which ghost from my past would be behind _this_door, but instead I felt Dain come to a halt, his entire body tense, and I could feel his anger still radiating from him.

I tensed myself, afraid of what was coming, and I felt his hands grip onto my waist tighter. Before I could comprehend what he was doing, I felt him lift me up, over his shoulder, and suddenly without warning I was flying through the air, my arms and legs flailing as I desperately searched for something solid to grab onto. _Nothing_.

All too soon, I managed to find something solid after all- or more like, it found me. With a wicked sounding crack, my body hit what I realized later was the right stone wall in the little cell I shared with the Lucas Brothers. Pain was shooting through me like wildfire, and I was gasping for air, rolling onto my back and sucking in my breath, my back feeling as if it was on fire.

Someone was leaning over me, but all I could see was with my fuzzy vision was Dain's triumphant smirk. He continued to glare at me, a gloating expression on his face, but I could still see through his haughty stare. He was angry at me, angry at the entire world, but mostly... angry at me. I honestly could say I didn't care at the moment- the pain running through my body had me preoccupied at the moment.

I knew I'd gotten seriously hurt, but still, all I could see was Landon's broken, shocked expression, and all I could imagine was all the nights he'd spent here, probably going through a similar scenario on a daily basis, and once again, tears filled my eyes. How could we not have known? How blind I had been- thinking all these years that Landon had abandoned me. In fact, it was never his fault in the first place. How could I have been so _stupid_ as to think that he hadn't cared? How could I have ever doubted him?

"Mitchie!" Someone's voice broke me out of my thoughts, and I jerked as I realized that Joe was standing over me, looking terrified, shaking my shoulders. "Mitchie!" I gave a cry of surprise, shoving his hand away from me in a hasty panic, my thoughts flying back to what Dain had told me earlier...

'I need you to _take care of the Lucas Brothers_...' I didn't want to see them, I didn't want to be near them, just in case something happened. I couldn't bear it if I hurt them. I closed my eyes, my body stiff as I hoped neither Joe, Kevin, or Nick would come near me, and took a deep breath to calm myself. _Breathe, just breathe..._

"Mitchie... are you okay?" The look on Joe's face told me that he already knew by my expression, and the way I'd responded to him, that I was far from okay, but he wanted me to tell him that instead of just flat out saying something. I flinched, swallowing harshly as I gave a barely noticable shake of my head. I didn't want to talk, I didn't want to think, I didn't want to be conscious. I wished that when Dain had thrown me, I would've hit my head and blacked out... maybe for all of eternity. I didn't want to wake up right now. I didn't want to be here, I didn't want to think about what Dain had said, or about Landon, or anything at all. I wanted to be blissfully unaware of the entire world.

Joe looked like he wanted to step forwards and wrap his arms around me, but also as if he was afraid of how I would react. He was right to stay where he was- I didn't want to be held, I didn't want to be comforted. I just wanted to be alone, alone and miserable with my terrible thoughts.

"No." I mumbled under my breath, my palms unconsciously curling into fists as my thoughts flickered back to Landon. I couldn't seem to stop the endless memories, that horrific moment, and the years that followed. I just couldn't get over what had happened.

Before I could stop it, a sob tore through my body, and, ignoring the pain that I caused myself, I pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them as tears slid down my cheeks uncontrollably. Now that they had started, I couldn't stop them, as much as I wished they would just go away. All the day's events were weighing down on me- starting with Dain's evil smirk as he told me of my 'job', of Dain's triumphant smile as he ripped my blindfold off and allowed me to see Landon, and all the never-ending memories that were now flashing through my head. I just wasn't able to hold everything in any longer.

'_God help me, I've come undone.'_

I heard cautious footsteps, and I felt someone's arms wrap around my shaking body, pulling me closer, and I turned my head, crying into Joe's shoulder. Sure, I might not have looked up to see who was holding me, but still, I knew it was Joe. He was holding me the same way he'd held me last night.

Somehow, that thought cause me to cry harder, and my hands gripped onto his shirt as I cried. I didn't want to let go- I never wanted to move on from this moment, even though it was terrible... I was afraid of what was going to happen once I pulled back, once I was forced to let go of Joe. I was so afraid...

"Are you hurt?" Joe asked quietly, his breath hot against my cheek, and it took me a second to remember that Dain had thrown me. I shook my head, although my back was screaming, I had more important things to worry about. Like Landon, for example, or what Dain had just told me. I could worry about myself later on, at a reasonable time.

"I'll survive." I choked out, through my tears, and I felt Joe grip me tighter, almost protectively. I leaned closer into his grip, struggling to level my breathing, so I could explain what had happened. With Landon, anyways. I wasn't quite ready to tell him about Dain's _assignment_, because I didn't think I'd be able to get the words out of my throat without possibly throwing up again.

"Mitchie-" Joe's tone cautioned that I was not alright, and it was obvious, but I couldn't get my thoughts past Landon's broken figure. His horrified expression when he'd caught sight of me, Dain's smirk, Landon's gentle tone when he finally said my name... everything was too much. "What happened?" Joe's gentle, yet firm, voice broke into my thoughts, causing me to finally glance up and meet his eyes. The instant I did, I frowned, doing my best to hold back my gasp of horror.

"What happened with your eye?" I asked instead, my hand lifting up, my finger gently tracing the outline of the nasty bruise he had around his eye. He grimaced, but shook his head, obviously more concerned with finding out what Dain had done than his black eye.

"It can wait." He insisted, and I sighed, closing my eyes as Ladon's face once again flickered into my mind. I choked back a sob, trembling at everything that had happened earlier, and I felt Joe pulling me closer to him again, his breath hot on my cheek as he whispered into my ear. "Please tell me what's wrong." He was practically begging, and I knew I couldn't put off telling him any longer.

"Landon." I choked out, the tears coming harder as I wondered if Dain would do anything to Landon, since I hadn't exactly pleased him. _Please don't take it out on Landon,_ I silently begged, _please._"Dain's been holding him prisoner here." I sobbed, and I felt Joe suck in a deep breath.

"Who's Landon?" He probed gently, and I could feel myself trembling before I replied. Glancing up at Joe, barely able to see with tears clouding my vision, I answered him.

"My brother."


	7. Seven

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**A/N: _Hey guys! I'm back again with a new chapter :D It's not quite as long as some of the others, but still over 4,000+ words ;) Anyways... I don't have much to say, except that there are a few little twists in this chapter for you guys :) Enjoy & reivew? :D_**

_Disclaimer: Don't own Camp Rock or JONAS... duuuh._

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**E**veryone seemed to freeze as I uttered that single statement. There was complete, utter _silence_, as the Lucas' brothers eyes widened, all staring at me with horrified expressions. I held back a sob as I, once again, turned and buried my head into Joe's chest, my body involuntarily trembling. Joe barely moved - if he even noticed - still staring blindly into space, his face like stone. I could tell he was angry from the way that he drew in a sharp breath, his body feeling stiff, his heart beating quickly, loud enough that I could hear it. I bit my lip, tears leaking out of the corners of my eyes.

Joe's arm tightened around my waist protectively, as if he didn't want to let me go. I didn't resist- I didn't want him to let go, I needed someone to hold onto.

_Landon._ I sobbed, unable to stop myself, and Joe immediately snapped into action, leaning down and whispering into my ear, his hand rubbing my back comfortingly.

"What happened?" Joe asked quietly, and although he didn't finish his question, it was clear what he was asking. I couldn't put off telling them, either, even though I wondered if I was even able to force the words out of my mouth. Every breath pained me, my thoughts focused solely on Landon, and explaining what had happened that fateful night would not be an easy task.

"Ok." I whispered, taking a deep breath. "I'll start from the beginning." Releasing that breath with a shudder, I closed my eyes, and allowed my mind to take me back to the memories of a day I'd been trying to block out for so long.

_It was four years ago, on a dark and stormy day - the ones you usually see on TV in horror movies and such. I'd always laughed at that - how Mary Sue of them to act as if every time something bad happened, there was conveniently dark skies and lightening streaking overhead. However, that had described the day exactly, and I never laughed about how corny the plot line was now. No, I'd never laugh at that again, seeing as how it now seemed realistic, and horrible._

_Mom had come into the room, where Landon and I were sitting quietly, watching some TV show that I now couldn't remember the name of, despite the storm overhead. She'd snapped at us to turn off the TV, explaining quickly that we weren't to watch anymore TV until the storm had passed. With much sighing and groaning, we'd shut off the TV at her request. _

_Dad was right behind her, yelling to be heard over the noise of the thunder and lightening. He'd told us briefly that he and Mom had to run out and help one of the neighbors down the street, who's roof had begun to spring a leak and it needed immediate attention. Mom directed us to stay in the house, under all circumstances, and that Landon was in charge. I'd nodded, along with Landon, and without waiting any further, Mom and Dad rushed out of the door. _

_I wished I could have stopped them - maybe then, things would have been different. However, I knew that it was better for their own sake that they hadn't been in the house, because I couldn't even begin to imagine what would've happened if they had. It could have been disastrous- even more so that it already was. _

_Landon pointed out that we could play a card game to pass the time, and seeing as he was just as worried about Mom and Dad going out in the storm as I was, I agreed, for his sake. Before I could take a step towards the closet, though, the sound of breaking glass could be heard. _

I gasped, pulling away from the memory for a second, my hands gripping Joe's shirt as tears poured down my cheeks and I gasped for breath. Joe held me tightly, although now I pulled away, pushing him away from me as I moved myself closer to the wall, wanting to be alone. I needed to be alone - to remember what it was like to have Landon by my side, and remember when he'd been ripped away from me. When I had lost him. I choked on a sob and, unwillingly, realized I had cut off mid-story. I glanced up, seeing Nick, Joe, and Kevin all staring back at me with deep concern, and drew in a shaky breath. I had to keep going - to remember all the pain and horror of that day.

_Landon and I had both frozen, both in fear and shock, although Landon was the first to recover. His eyes wide, he turned and pushed me towards the stairs, motioning frantically to get up to my room. I shook my head quickly, attempting to grab Landon's arm - he had to come with me - but he quickly dodged me. With a shake of his head, he waved his hands towards the stairs. _

_"Go up to your room and hide under your bed, or somewhere, please." His low tone was practically begging me to obey, and on sudden impulse, I nodded, my feet flying up the stairs as I quietly yet quickly ran for the safety of my room, leaving Landon downstairs. That, I now deemed, was mistake number two. _

_Scrambling into my room, I dove for the bed, making a quick pathway as I slid under the bed, glad that I was still small enough to fit under. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my breathing, and focus instead on what was going on downstairs. At the moment, I could hear nothing. _

_And then it all happened at once. There was the sound of a struggle, and furniture being knocked over, and things crashing against the wall, and I couldn't help shaking as I fought the urge to cry out for help. I probably should have, although I had only been thirteen at the time and still too scared to truly think. Another mistake on my part. _

_And then it was quiet. For a second, I wondered if maybe I'd scared myself unconcious, or maybe this was simply a dream - or, should I rephrase, a nightmare. Chiding myself for thinking so foolishly, I wondered if it was safe to move. When I heard footsteps, however, I changed my mind. Loud and heavy, I could hear someone coming up the stairs, and I pushed myself farther under the bed, my heart racing as I tried to think quickly._

_"Leave her alone!" Landon's desperate voice rang out from the hallway, angry and hurt and begging, and I struggled not to cry out to him. _

_"Then you will do it?" A deep voice, one that sounded hauntingly familiar, spoke next, slowly and deliberately. I knew that voice, I recalled briefly, but perhaps the sheer fear I was feeling refused to let me focus. There was a moment's silence, and then Landon's weak, yet firm, voice. _

_"Yes. Please." He whispered, and something in his tone made me freeze. Those were the last words I'd ever heard Landon speak, from that point on. The footsteps had retreated, along with my brother. _

I closed my eyes, sucking in a breath. Somehow, during the process of telling my story, I'd stopped crying. Maybe I'd run out of tears - I wasn't sure. All I knew was that my cheeks were no longer wet, and I was no longer choking.

"Mitchie, I'm so sorry. That's horrible. We had no idea... We didn't know..." Kevin broke off, meeting my eyes with a gaze that said they were sorry. What for, I still wasn't sure, since there was an unreadable expression in all three boys eyes. I nodded quietly, noting that although the tears had stopped, my trembling had not. With a pained sigh, I leaned my head against the wall and went to pull my knees up so I could wrap my arms around them. Wrong move.

Attempting to ignore the pain shooting from my back, I bit my lip, struggling to keep from crying out, and my arms gradually forced my legs into the desired position. I could see Joe watching me - actually, all three of the Lucas Brothers were watching me - although he didn't say a word, and I could see he wanted to help. If only he knew how I needed to be alone - how much I _wanted _to be alone right now.

I lowered my head until I was resting on my knees, still pushing aside the pain the motion caused me, and focused on Landon. On that fateful day, I'd realized just how much loosing Landon would permanently scar me, forever. It had wounded me - handicapped me, in a mental way - deeper than any blow, something that would never, ever be able to heal, even if by some imaginary impossible deed, we were able to get ourselves out of his grasp.

It was hard to imagine - thinking back to everything he'd been deprived of, everything he'd put up with, everything that he'd allowed to be done to him, all to try to keep me safe. Of course, I wasn't sure that was the reason, but every aspect of the situation pointed out that it was the best possibility. Oh, how I wished I had never met Dain. My life would be so simple then.

Every time I turned around, my world was in chaos, and more complicated in ways I couldn't even explain. I wondered, not for the first time, why _me_? I know it seems selfish to wish this terrible fate onto anyone else, but I didn't mean it that way. No, I wanted more than anything to know why I had been chosen for this role - and hence, _why me_?

Had I received the short end of the straw? Most likely - that, or Dain's management just saw our friendship and jumped at the change to test him. _Oh, no, Mitchie, don't even think of going there today._

At that thought, I drew in a sharp breath, wishing I could disappear. Wishing I could rewind and erase my past, and start fresh. Unfortunately, it was all too late for such wishful thinking, since I didn't seem to have a rewind button for my life that I could conveniently press when I'd first messed up. That first mistake... I closed my eyes. Oh, in the beginning, it had all seemed so simple - so innocent - and just slightly too late, I'd been able to see how truly terribly I had underestimated Dain.

And even then, I'd kept pressing forwards, in too deep a hole to find the strength to climb out, and instead digging myself deeper and deeper. And it was then that Dain had sprung his trap.

I forced myself to break out of my thoughts - to quit thinking about how it had begun, and instead focus on how I could possibly _fix _this mess. If there was any attainable way at this point, I wasn't quite sure.

The sound of a bolt being drawn back snapped me to my senses, and I froze as the door was pulled open. _Already, again?_ My brain screamed, my heart rate bouncing back up.

As he stepped through the doorway, I could see he had managed to compose himself, and he glanced coolly at me, ignoring the others, his eyebrows raised.

"Mitchie, I need your answer." He stated simply, and a moment's of confusion passed through my mind - although I managed to hide it rather well - before I stood up, a sudden rush of confusion and anger and hurt pulsing through my body. I stepped towards him, until I stood face to face with him, so close I could feel his breath on my neck.

"I'll give it to you just once you answer one of my questions," I snapped, being sure to keep my cool as I stared back at him - not angrily, but curiously - and keep myself under control as I paused, collecting myself, and then began speaking again. Throughout the whole time, Dain barely moved, his eyes never leaving mine as he waited for me to finish. "Was I always just an assignment to you?" I didn't bother to hide the sorrow from my voice, seeing as we'd been over this before. He already knew how badly he'd hurt me - it was no secret. "Was I _ever_ more than an assignment?"

Dain stared back at me, unblinking, as if he couldn't comprehend my question. Or maybe he simply chose not to - whatever the reason, his expression gave away nothing. He paused, his eyes still focused on me as he shifted his weight, uncomfortably, and for an instant, I could see the Dain I used to know - the one Dain had chosen to lock somewhere deep inside, opposed to his monster standing in front of me now.

It was there for one moment, and the next, it was gone. Dain shook himself slightly and straightened, shattering the image of the _other_Dain, replaced once again. His gaze hardened as he responded.

"You were just another job, Michelle." The hardness of his tone shocked me, even though I hadn't really expected a soft answer, and I took a step back, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. He only used my full name when he was angry, and that fact in itself made me wish I could crawl back into the corner and cower below him. Although, I never would do that, simply because it would be too satisfying for him.

"Well, Michelle, I've answered your question, now it's your turn to answer mine." I frowned at him, ignoring the latter part of his sentence. When he saw my confused expression, he discreetly waved his hand in the direction of the Lucas Brothers, and instantly I stiffened, my head shaking in a firm 'no' immediately. _No, I wouldn't even dare think of laying a finger on any of the Lucas boys, no matter what Dain 'ordered' me to do. I wasn't like him - I would never allow myself to be like him - a simple machine for killing, controlled by the higher authority, simply following orders unmercifully. Never would I - I wouldn't let myself become the monster he was now. _

"No." I spat, watching as Dain stiffened, looking angrier, before he once again checked himself, nodding calmly.

"Very well, Michelle." He responded, as if he'd simply asked me to do some simple thing and I had refused and it was of no importance to him, either way. However, I knew his persona was false - it was very important to him that I did as he'd commanded, but unfortunately, I was no easy prisoner. I simply stared, meeting his gaze evenly, and I saw the corner of his lips lift up into a devious smile.

Any possible ounce of courage I'd been feeling vanished, because I understood his silent words. _Landon._ Seeing my expression, he nodded, now grinning, and I felt sick. He was going to make me choose - Landon or the Lucas Brothers.

Silently, he spun on his heel, not once glancing at me, although I could still see his wicked, taunting smirk as he pretended to ignore me. Somehow, he could already predict how I was going to act, and this time, he was right. Before he could leave, I threw myself at him, my hands grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

Immediately, his bodyguards jumped forwards to pull me off, but he held up his hands at them to stop, staring down at me, looking amused. He already knew I was going to beg on my hands and knees and, possibly (in his mind) change my own mind about doing what he'd requested.

"Please Mitchie, I've done so much for you already - I've housed you, I've fed you, I've treated you rather well - can't you do me one small favor in return?" I stared back at him in shock - he could not be serious, could he? I couldn't think of a single person who had treated me worse than Dain, and yet he stood here, unashamed before me, claiming I owed him favors, since he had been so unconditionally _kind_. It was sickening.

I moved to step back, and it was then I realized that Dain's hand was on my wrist, keeping me firmly in place. With a disgusted look thrown in his direction, I pulled back, my free hand reaching out and shoving him away as I shook my head. Never would I even consider the possibilities of obeying him, ever. I wouldn't.

"I owe you nothing." I hissed angrily, stepping away from him. "And I will never do what you're asking." I clarified, glaring at him. "Never." He only smiled back at me, keeping his emotions firmly hidden behind his own personal unreachable wall of China.

"Sweetheart," His tone was sugarly sweet, dripping with a warmth that didn't fit him at all, "Hasn't anyone ever told you never to say never?"

* * *

The four of us sat in silence - the Lucas Brothers huddled together, and myself opposite them, staring blankly at the wall. _You were just another job_. Somehow, this hurt most of all, although I'd been foolish to ever think that I was anything _but_another assignment. Somehow though, when he'd solidified this fact, a tiny part of me had died - the part that kept believing that maybe, just maybe, he would change.

Now, as I stared dully at the stone, I could see clearly that my false scenario would never happen. It was too late for him to turn himself around, and if he ever did manage that, by that time I wouldn't be around.

I dropped my head into my hands, groaning at the intense pressure building up in my head. Why would my life never be satisfied with being _simple_? Why did everything had to be complicated, difficult, or anywhere in between the two? I couldn't understand it, not one bit. If I could, I would happily agree to be just another silly, stupid teenager, and I wouldn't regret that choice, despite how much I wasn't a fan of teenagers (although I myself was one).

Yes, I would, without a doubt, trade this insane horrifying life for that of a normal teenager. In simply two seconds, I wouldn't hesitate. Unfortunately, there was no choice in the matter now, and I was stuck in the mess I'd created for myself. I'd dug my own grave, those long, fateful five years ago, when I first met Shannon, and when she's dragged me to meet Dain. And from the moment he'd set eyes on me, it was already too late.

I didn't realize I was crying until a lone tear dropped onto my leg, and I lifted my head, wiping at my wet cheeks. Oh, how I wished I could simply make this all go away. I didn't want to be stuck in this mess - I just wanted everything to disappear. I wished it would simply vanish away, and leave behind little or, better yet, no hint of the past few years.

I yawned, suddenly realizing how worn out I was from the day's events, and leaned my head against the wall, forcing my stops to stop swirling around in my mind. There would be plenty of time tomorrow to worry about everything, and worrying wasn't going to change anything. Another yawn tore through me, and I closed my eyes, falling asleep in moments.

* * *

_[Joe's P.O.V]_

Guilt. The was probably the only one thing that I was feeling that I could understand. Guilt was raining down on me, drowning me in it's heavy downpour. This was wrong. What he'd done, her creating her own self destruction, and what we were doing. It was _wrong_, dead wrong, and suddenly I wanted no part in it.

I turned to quietly glance at my brothers, who both held the same, haunted look in their eyes. Obviously, they were rethinking this, too, and I hoped fervently that they would agree with me, because if they didn't... I wasn't sure what to do. Already, I was wondering if I should push away the shame burning inside of me and just carry on as I was before.

My eyes subconsciously ran to Mitchie's shaking form, her body hugging the wall as she quietly rocked herself back and forth, and as the dim sunlight shown through, I could see her face shining with tears, and I knew we were wrong. _It's wrong, wrong, wrong._

"Nick. Kevin." I whispered, quietly so as not to disturb her, and they both turned towards me, their expressions holding the same emotions I was feeling. I opened my mouth to speak, casting a quick glance at Mitchie to make sure that she wouldn't overhear us, but Nick beat me to it.

"This is wrong, Joe." He spoke quietly enough that Mitchie was unable to hear him, but firm enough that both Kevin and I could hear the thick emotion in his voice. I drew in a breath, nodding subconsciously.

"I agree. We can't do this anymore." I replied, leaning my head back against the cold wall as I shuddered. "I can't do it anymore." Nick glanced at me sympathetically, knowing exactly what I meant, but didn't say a word out loud, and for that, I was grateful.

"Especially not after we know some of her story, too. We can't deny we're making a huge mistake, and I myself want no part in this. We should have just said no in the beginning." Kevin pointed out, and I sighed, knowing he had a good point. How had we managed to end up here, in the first place? I couldn't remember now - it all seemed so long ago, passing through my mind briefly, but leaving before I could get a firm grasp on it. For some reason, it kept escaping me.

"But we can't just walk away from this," Nick reminded us both, and with a pang of regret, I noted that what he said was true. Although, I glanced at Mitchie once again and knew I couldn't walk away (even if he would allow us) from this and leave her to fend for herself. The only way I would be leaving was if we escape from here with her, and since that was an unlikely possibility, I refused to leave. And, of course, as I already knew, he wouldn't have allowed us to leave, anyways.

"We have to think of _something._" Both Nick and Kevin heard the desperate note in my voice, and they narrowed their eyes at me, Nick's head jerking towards Mitchie. I glanced at her again, worried she might have overheard me, but she was already asleep. I smiled quietly at her peaceful expression, noting that I'd never seen her calm before. She was beautiful...

With a shake of my head, I pushed away the unwanted thought, telling myself I couldn't think in such a manner. I wasn't allowed to.

"Get some sleep, Joe." Nick's quiet voice broke through my thoughts, his stern gaze telling me that he could already guess what I had been thinking, and he knew that any such thoughts would put us in a dangerous opinion. "We'll think about this in the morning, when we can think more clearly." He drew out the last part, and I nodded, knowing better than to argue with him.

I leaned against the wall, trying to ignore my troubling thoughts that continued to pester me, haunting me, and closed my eyes until I fell asleep.


	8. Eight

**A/N: **_Sorry for not updating for almost a month, I was lacking inspiration for this story, but I'm in a rather dark mood today, so I wrote this for you guys ;) I hope you'll like it and maybe drop me a little review... just maybe ;) I might update faster, lol. Anyways I hope you like this chapter, more about the Lucas Brothers 'secret' will be in the next chapter :) Enjoy & maybe review? ;)_

_Disclaimer: No, I do not own Camp Rock, or Camp Rock 2, or JONAS... or, yeah, anything. _

* * *

**T**he sunlight coming through the small, barred window woke me. Even though I wouldn't have minded sleeping through most of the day, if simply to avoid the horrors that I knew today would hold, I was glad that I woke up on my own, without having Dain hovering over me. I closed my eyes, taking a sharp breath, realizing how much I simply wished that I didn't have to open my eyes back up - I didn't want to face Dain again, or the Lucas Brothers, or sit by while thoughts of Landon tortured me.

With a groan, I forced myself to sit up, doing my best to ignore my aching body as I pushed myself up, my eyes darting around the small cell and finally coming to rest on the Lucas brothers, who looked as if they had hardly slept last night - dark circles were under their eyes, and their eyes held a troubled glint. If I hadn't been so haunted myself, I might have asked what was wrong, but I was sure it was nothing more than the last two day's events that was giving us all nightmares.

Joe caught my eye, although almost instantly, he turned away again, and this made me frown as I wondered what had made him act so strangely. It was as if he couldn't even look at me - as if he didn't even care about me. I felt my heart jump into my throat as I questioned what was wrong.

I jumped, my eyes darting away from Joe at the sound of the cell door being slid open, and I expected to see Dain walk through the door, demanding once again for my final 'answer', and I wasn't that far off. I was on my feet in an instant, however, when someone else stumbled into the cell, almost falling immediately to his knees. Shaking, I ran over to him and dropped down beside him, my hands moving to engulf him in a hug right away.

"Landon." I whispered, my eyes meeting his horrified ones, and a second set of footsteps made me stiffen - Dain wasn't far behind, stepping over towards us, his hands on his hips as he glared down at the two of us, a smirk already placed on his lips. As much as I wanted to run back into the farthest corner of the cell, I stayed put, my grip tightening around Landon protectively.

"Mitchie." Dain's voice held no warmth, but a taunting authority, as he glared down at me, his eyes harsh and yet teasing, as if he was already enjoying this brother-sister moment. "So, I've come to give you one last chance to re-think your decision, since I'm just that kind." His tight-lipped smile was gloating, and I shivered unconsciously at his cool gaze. "And now, I'll need your final answer. Think carefully Mitchie, because this is your _final _chance to get things right."

"Mitchie." Landon whispered, his voice hoarse, and I glanced at him, my heart in my throat. Dain's eyes narrowed as he glared down at the two of us, his eyes glittering with hatred. "Don't do anything irrational, please." His eyes bore into my own, and I swallowed, closing my eyes briefly as I tried to calm myself.

Dain's harsh cough made us both jump, my eyes sliding to the figure hovering over us, glaring back at him in determination.

"So, your final answer, Mitchie." He prodded, his eyebrow raised in fake curiosity, and immediately shook my head. With a sympathetic glance at Landon, I stood, rising so I could see eye to eye with him, and his own narrowed angrily. He already knew what I was going to say, and he wasn't pleased.

"No - I won't." I answered, "And I swear, that's my final answer. I won't become your personal killing machine." I heard the others in the room give a small gasp, but I didn't move my eyes from Dain's. "I will _never_be like you, and that is my final answer. I won't do what you're asking - you might as well just kill me, because I refuse to become you." I spat, glaring back at Dain in determination.

"You know, that can be arranged." Dain's voice was deathly low, and he stepped closer until he was hovering over me, his expression threatening, and although I felt myself flinch as his words hit me, I still refused to glance away from him. "I can't keep doing this - I won't give you another chance to answer right. I'm growing tired of this _game_that you insist on playing, and if you won't do as I say... well, although it might be unfortunate, I can arrange... a solution to this Mitchie problem."

"Leave her alone." The voice was firm, determined, and harsh, and for a moment I hardly recognized Landon's voice. The sheer anger in his tone made me pull my eyes away from Dain and dart to Landon, who was struggling to his feet beside me. Out of sheer instinct, I reached down, our hands entwining as I helped pull him up. His breath was coming in gasps, and he looked close to collapsing at any given moment, but still he faced Dain without wavering.

Dain's cold eyes flickered towards Landon, although he simply looked amused by the situation.

"And what if I don't?" He asked, simply sounding curious, and I felt myself bristling with anger at how he was treating Landon. My mouth opened, ready to shoot back a sharp retort, but the sound of someone getting up caught my attention. My eyes slid back towards where the Lucas Brothers were, and with surprise, I saw Joe stepping forwards, until he had placed himself firmly between Dain and Landon and I.

Joe's eyes were livid with anger and hatred as he glared defiantly back at Dain. The words he spoke were crystal clear and filled with rage, and something else I couldn't quite make out.

"Then I'll make you."

* * *

_[Joe's P.O.V]_

To say I was utterly surprised would be an understatement. Mitchie's words, the 'answer' Dain wanted from her, shocked me to my core.

"_I won't become your personal killing machine._" The very sentence she'd uttered made me question exactly what Dain had wanted her to do. I felt Nick and Kevin stiffen beside me, and I knew they'd heard her as clearly as I had. "... I won't do what you're asking - you might as well just kill me, because I refuse to become you." She continued, her voice hard and determined, and I felt my own eyes widen when Dain leaned closer to her and glared down at her.

"That can be arranged." He hissed, so coldly that I knew he wasn't simply just threatening her, but had planned this for a long time, and this was simply an excuse to get the job done more quickly. I saw Mitchie stiffen, and Landon's deathly pale expression, before he struggled to his feet beside Mitchie.

While Dain's attention was focused on Mitchie and Landon, I slipped a glanced towards my brothers, to see the same horrified look in their eyes, although their expressions gave away nothing of what they were feeling. I could see both swallow nervously, as if they were contemplating what they should do if Dain resorted to violence, and as they caught my eye, I saw they felt the same way I did.

"We can't just stand by and let this happen." I whispered, casting a quick glance in Dain's direction to be sure he wasn't paying attention to us, and both Nick and Kevin gave barely noticable nods. "We have to do something."

"We can't." Nick whispered back, his tone thick and heavy with emotion. "If we do, he'll know some thing's up, and we'll immediately be disposed of, and then there really be no chance to help Mitchie. We can't let him know, or it'll be the worse for everyone." His eyes shone with the same anguish that I knew was couring through my own body at the extremity of the situation.

"I won't just stand by and watch everything happen." I hissed back, and I saw Nick grimace.

"Nick's right, Joe. We don't stand a chance if he suspects anything. We can't do anything." Kevin whispered, a pained expression on his face, and I clenched my jaw. I didn't get how they could handle just sitting there when something did happen, although I did see their point. If Dain suspected they were on Mitchie's side, he'd surely have them eliminated immediately. They couldn't do anything, without putting not only themselves, but Mitchie and Landon in danger also. Yet he couldn't just sit by and watch Dain hurt Mitchie.

As I watched Landon tell Dain to leave Mitchie alone, and caught sight of the dangerous gleam in his eyes as he stared down at Mitchie, a strange glance in his eyes, I'd already made up my mind, no matter what the cost.

"And what if I don't?" Dain replied, his eyes still focused on Mitchie, a smile growing on his lips, I knew I had to do something to stop the situation, for fear out of what was coming. Ignoring the soft gasps coming from my brothers when I stood, catching not only Mitchie's attention but also Landon and Dain's, I glared darkly at Dain as I stepped forwards, in front of Mitchie so as to block her from any of Dain's further attacks.

"Then I'll make you." I spat, my expression full of hatred as I locked eyes with Dain, challenging him to try to lay a finger on Mitchie. His expression was one of utter shock, before quickly turning to a sly smile, as if he'd figured out what had just happened. I couldn't help it as my gaze faltered slightly - the prospects of what Dain was going to do were flashing through my head, reminding me that acting out of instinct wasn't always the best thing to do.

"You can't make me do anything." Dain snapped, stepping closer, his eyebrows raised, and I hesitated. My initial anger towards him was slowly being replaced by fear as I realized what my mistake had cost not only myself, but Kevin and Nick, and I wished I had just stayed in the corner with my brothers. "I can do whatever I'd like." As if to prove his point, his hand reached out, grabbing onto Mitchie's wrist, and with one swift motion he pulled her forwards, easily pinning her up against him, and before any of us knew what was happening, there was a knife at Mitchie's throat.

I heard Nick and Kevin give gasps of horror, and Landon's terrified expression, and I realized just exactly how big of a mistake I'd just made. Mitchie's eyes were wide and she was standing extremely still. I could see her trembling, even from where I was standing, and the only thing I wanted to do was reach out and hold her.

"As you can see, I'll do whatever I please, whenever I please. You certainly won't stop me. If I would _like_to, I'll kill her now, and not one of you can do a thing about it." Mitchie was shaking, her expression unreadable besides fear, and I watched, horrified, as he pressed the knife harder against her throat, causing her to whimper quietly.

With a laugh - loud, clear, and completely inappropriate for the situation - Dain smirked at all of us before he pulled the knife away, although I could see where it had broken a little skin, and then shoved Mitchie away from him, still laughing. Seeing Mitchie was falling, I jumped forwards, catching her in my arms before she could hit the ground, and pulling her back, away from Dain, my hands firmly wrapped around her waist. Landon's worried expression followed my every move, but I was solely focused on Mitchie, who was clinging to me for dear life.

"Now," Dain remarked, his eyes watching as I lowered myself - along with Mitchie - to the ground, realizing she wasn't able to stand at the moment, "Is there anyone else who would like to question what I _can't_ do?" His eyes glared at all of us, daring anyone to speak up, and when we all firmly kept our mouths shut, he gave another short laugh.

"Now that that's settled," He grinned, stepping closer to where I knelt with Mitchie on the ground, her face buried into my shirt, "and Mitchie's given me her final answer, it's time for some consequences." He leaned closer, although I attempted to shield Mitchie from his triumphant glare, and Mitchie glanced up at him, tears staining her cheeks as she still gripped onto my shirt, as if afraid to let go. "If you'd like, I'll leave you five alone for a moment, so you can enjoy each other's company... for now, because that's how forgiving I am."

Mitchie turned her head to glare up at him, and although she looked fragile, weak, and helpless at the moment, there was no mistaking her venomous tone.

"I hate you." She hissed, her eyes filled with determination, and Dain's own gaze hardened before he pulled away from her, straightening.

"I'll be back soon enough." He snapped, "Be ready, because, Mitchie, there are no actions in this world that don't have serious consequences."

* * *

I wished nothing more than that Joe hadn't decided to try to be a hero and stand up to Dain. Maybe then, I wouldn't be here, Dain's firm grip around my waist, and his knife at my throat.

My heart racing, my body shaking, I stared back into Joe's shocked eyes, and Landon's horrified expression, but didn't dare to move or respond, with the cold steel pressed against my throat, cutting deeper every time I swallowed.

"If I would _like _to, I'll kill her now, and not one of you can do a thing about it." Dain hissed, glaring back at Joe as if daring him to speak up now. As if on cue, he dug the tip of the knife deeper into my flesh, and I couldn't hold back my moan of pain. Joe flinched, and Landon looked as if he would have killed Dain if he hadn't been afraid of what would happen to me.

With a loud laugh, Dain released me, shoving me forwards, and my legs buckled underneath me. I closed my eyes, expecting to hit the floor in any moment, but Joe stepped forwards, catching me as I fell.

I glanced up at him, gratitude in my eyes, as I gripped onto his shirt, finding that I didn't have the energy to stand. As Joe tried to steady me I half collapsed, and Joe immediately lowered down until I was sitting beside him, my head buried in his shirt.

"Is there anyone else who would like to question what I _can't_do?" Dain snapped, and I flinched at his harsh words. He was sickening, a twisted being, and he knew that no one else in the cell would stand up to him. He was perfectly happy - actually, he was at his happiest - when he was feared.

"Now that that's settled," He continued when everyone remained silent, and I felt him take a step closer to where Joe and I were, "and Mitchie's given me her final answer, it's time for some consequences." I felt Joe move slightly so as to put himself in between Dain and I, and I knew Dain was leaning over us. I forced myself to raise my head and glare back at him. "If you'd like, I'll leave you five alone for a moment, so you can enjoy each other's company... for now, because that's how forgiving I am."

"I hate you." As shocked as I was by my own words, I knew that deep in my heart, this was the truth, and I watched in satisfaction as Dain stiffened, his eyes hardening, before he pulled away, standing up straight once again.

"I'll be back soon enough." He snapped, the anger evident in his voice, although he managed to smile before he continued speaking. "Be ready, because, Mitchie, there are no actions in this world that don't have serious consequences."

I heard Dain's words clear enough, but I couldn't bring myself to raise my head up from Joe's shirt and face him again. He would be back soon, I knew that much, and I had to force myself to stop shaking before I could go any farther. I could only imagine the horrible punishment Dain had in store for me - or worse, Landon. At the very thought, I couldn't help the sobs tearing through my body.

The door slammed shut behind us, once again trapping us in the tiny cell, and I broke down.

"Whoa, Mitchie, calm down." Joe's voice wasn't harsh, but he sounded worried as he spoke gently down at me, and I glanced up to see his eyes filled with both anxiety and guilt, and immediately, I wondered why. I opened my mouth to ask him when I felt Landon's hand on my arm, and I turned to face him, before burying my face into his chest as, unwillingly, more tears fell from my eyes. Landon's arms encircled me, and his hands gently rubbed my back as I cried.

I was terrified that Dain would decide to punish either Landon or Joe, just to give me a 'taste of his power', and I knew that would be the worst punishment that Dain could ever utter. To see someone else suffering, for the mess that I created... just the very thought was torturing me.

"Be strong, Mitch." Landon spoke slowly, and I pulled away so I could meet his gaze, noting that he didn't offer me any words of false comfort, such as 'it'll be okay' or 'everything will be fine', because we both knew it wouldn't turn out well. Landon wasn't going to pretend there would be a good ending to this, because he knew, probably better than I did, what Dain was capable of.

I didn't respond, but I knew my expression said it all, because now I could see the tears on Landon's own face before he pulled me closer, back into a hug, and I could hear him crying. He knew what was coming, or at least could guess most of what would happen, because he had been here with Dain for the past four years.

"What the heck were you thinking, Joe?" I heard Nick yell, causing me to raise my head slightly as I turned to glance at the three brothers, two glaring defiantly at the other, and one with guilt and regret in his eyes. "I told you, why didn't you listen?" Nick's tone was frustrated, and terrified, and Joe frowned.

"I'm not just going to stand there - _I_ already told _you _that." He snapped, and I watched the scene in confusion. Something in all three brother's tones told me that this was about more than just Joe telling Dain to back off.

Nick let out a frustrated groan as he ran his hand through his curly hair, looking lost, and Kevin was staring at the ground, biting his lip, and looking nervous. Joe glared back at Nick and Kevin, looking determined but yet scared, and I frowned at the strange reactions I was getting from the Lucas Brothers.

"And you don't think he's going to just let you get away with that, do you?" Nick shot back, and when Joe looked as if he was at a loss for words, Kevin sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"What's wrong?" I asked, softly, although I instantly caught all three boys' attention. I knew a better question might have been 'What's _not _wrong?', but I wasn't referring to the situation with Dain or Landon, but whatever they were upset about. I saw Nick and Kevin glance nervously at each other, and then at Joe, who stared back with an unreadable expression in his eyes before he sighed, running his hands through his hair nervously, and then shot me an apologetic glance.

"I don't know how to explain this..." He began uncertainly, his eyes locked on my own as he ignored his brothers' panicked expressions, and I saw Landon's eyes narrow from beside me as he stared at Joe, suddenly looking rather mistrustful, and I felt his grip tighten around my waist as we waited for Joe to answer. "There's something I need to tell you." The seriousness in Joe's voice had my full attention, my heart in my throat as I wondered what Joe was going to say.

Before he had the chance to speak, however, the door opened to reveal two guards, both instantly catching sight of Joe, ignoring the rest of us, and motioning him forwards. I could see the panic that lit up his eyes before he masked his expression, stepping forwards with a slight nod. I wanted to get up - to stop him from just meekly following them, but Landon's firm grip made sure I wasn't able to

"Dain wishes to see you." One spoke up, and although Joe met his eyes firmly, I could sense the fear he was feeling, and I had to choke back tears. I didn't understand his calm atmosphere when he moved towards them, his head bowed so they couldn't see his expression.

"Joe." I whispered, feeling my heart breaking as I concluded this was some sort of Dain's punishment to me, and as much as I tried to blink back my tears, I couldn't help as they fell down my cheeks while I struggled to get my emotions under control. Joe glanced towards me, his face softening, and he gave me a slight smile before he stepped out of the cell, and the door was firmly slammed shut.

I cried out in protest, pulling myself out of Landon's grip and rushing towards the door, screaming at them to take me instead, screaming that I wanted to speak to Dain. They ignored me completely, one on either side of Joe as they continued down the corridor, as if oblivious to my cries. I saw Joe flinch every time I yelled, though, and I knew that he, at least, could hear me.

I fell to the floor, curling myself into a ball as I cried, sobs tearing through my body as I thought about the fact that this was all my fault. The reason Landon was here, the reason the Lucas Brothers were here, the reason Dain had decided to punish us - everything was my fault.

I felt someone pull me back, away from the door, and I turned to see Landon's stricken expression as he wrapped his arms around me, telling me to stop screaming.

"Please help me because I'm breaking down." I whispered, feeling myself trembling as he held me, and I heard Landon's sharp intake of breath as he tightened his grip on me, as if he wanted to protect me. He couldn't - he knew this as well as I did. Feeling as though my heart was breaking in two, I grabbed hold of Landon, tears soaking his shirt, although he didn't seem to care as he pulled me closer.

And I couldn't help but notice that even as he held me, he didn't offer me words of comfort or try to tell me everything would be okay. He didn't say we'd make it through this, he didn't say that it would turn out alright.

Maybe that's because he knew as well as I did that nothing would be alright.


	9. Nine

**A/N: **_Hey guys - first I would like to say I'm extremely sorry for not updating in a while, for the whole month of September I was hardly home so I had no time to sit down & write, but hopefully, I'm back now & can resume writing :) Also I've added a few major twists in this chapter, hopefully you like it, and will possibly review? Please? haha XD Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and if you perhaps decide to leave a review once you're finished reading, just know... I love you ;) haha XD Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock, or JONAS... yup, my evil plans will never be put on the big screen. :(_

* * *

_[Joe's P.O.V]_

I should've known better. I should never have challenged Dain, I never should have stood up to him. I realized that the moment that he had his knife at Mitchie's neck, his expression triumphant, and I was reminded of that fact when the cell's door slid open to reveal two of his guards. I was foolish and hot-headed, and now it was time for me - and my brothers - to pay for the consequences to my actions.

I stepped forwards, already knowing what the guards would say, and one opened his mouth despite my obvious cooperation. I didn't wish to anger Dain any further - I knew that to delay my punishment would only cause not only myself, but Mitchie and my brothers, more trouble then we were already in.

"Dain wishes to see you." The guard informed me, although I'd already guessed this much, and gave a slight nod to show them that I'd understood, and wasn't going to be difficult. They still didn't seem to trust me, though, as the both eyed me suspiciously.

"Joe." Despite the fact that Mitchie had whispered my name, I could still hear her soft, broken tone, and I flinched at what was probably going through her mind at the moment. Glancing at her, my head lowered so that the guards wouldn't notice the direction of my gaze, I offered her a small, hardly reassuring smile, although I felt heartbroken at the tears on her face, and her tortured expression. I wished I could tell her that things would be okay, but I couldn't even be sure that this would turn out well.

The guards immediately moved to either side of me as I stepped out of the cell, and I tried to force down my panic as the door was shut firmly behind me, and the bolt replaced. I didn't even want to imagine what Dain had in store for me after what I'd done today.

I flinched, stiffening as I heard Mitchie's sudden pleas of desperation, screaming at my guards to let her talk to Dain, to take her instead. My heart in my throat, trembling at the distress in her cries, I tried my best to ignore her, seeing as acting up anymore certainly wouldn't help either myself, Mitchie, or my brothers. I wanted nothing more than to turn back around, rush to her, and pull her into my arms, but I knew I couldn't do any such thing.

Biting my lip, I ignored my instincts - which were what had gotten me into this mess in the first place - and instead continued walking meekly along with the guards.

It seemed as if we walked forever, but it was probably simply the dread that I felt as I took every step forwards into what was sure to become a living nightmare. Oh, why had I snapped out at Dain, when I knew what would happen later? At the same time, I didn't regret speaking up for Mitchie - or at least, I didn't _yet. _His words had been harsh, unnecessary, and the scary thing was that I knew he was dead serious about everything he'd said.

I was still shocked that I'd almost told Mitchie the reason why we were actually here, and I knew by the mistrustful expression on Landon's face that he'd suspected something from the very beginning. I'm not proud, but in my defense, I had no idea what this situation would be like when Dain had first spoken with me. I hadn't thought about the fact that I might have begun to fall for Mitchie.

I shook my head, trying to push the thought away and deny it. I knew we were almost to Dain's room, and I knew he'd instantly find any traces of my feelings in my expression if I didn't get them out of my mind, and I wouldn't put my brothers or Mitchie in jeopardy again.

The door in front of us opened, and the guards released me, one's hand shooting out to shove me forwards into the dark room. I stumbled, only just catching myself and managing to avoid falling, my hands reaching out for the chair in front of me, so I could steady myself. I could see faintly as Dain smirked at my near fall.

"So, Joe," Dain's tone was triumphant, although he did sound slightly angry with me, beneath his cool exterior. "Would you care to explain what happened back there?" I knew that he was waiting for my answer - his own question was to test my loyalty to him. I couldn't let him know the truth, and so I resorted to quick thinking. Thankfully, I've always been good at coming up with convincing excuses.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to come across so badly, I was just trying to keep Mitchie convinced that we're on her side. You know, just in case she had any doubts or anything, I figured that would be a good way to show her she can trust us." I even smirked at the end, as if I truly had meant to lash out at Dain to keep Mitchie on our side, when in truth, it had simply been an instinct to try to protect her. I didn't dare mention that to Dain though, since he wouldn't be quite so forgiving.

I saw the anger in Dain's eyes flash away, and a small smile came onto his face. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but I didn't out of fear that he'd guess I'd been lying, since as of now, he seemed to believe me.

"Smart thinking, Joe. Well, I'm glad we've had this little talk, since I had to be sure that my agents weren't bailing on me. Because, of course, I really would hate to dispose of you three, when you're still helping me out so much."

"I'm doing my best, sir, as are my brothers." I replied softly, hoping that my voice wouldn't crack in the middle and Dain would suspect I wasn't being honest. Honestly, I still wasn't quite sure who's side I was on, but until I did, I needed both to believe that I was on their side completely. Dain's smile widened.

"Well good then, keep it up - because very soon, I'll be putting a new plan into action, and I will surely need your help, most of all." Dain smirked, and I stiffened subconsciously, hoping he hadn't noticed. He must not have, since he had a large grin on his face as he continued. "You, my dear friend, and your brothers, are going to run Mitchie straight into a trap."

* * *

_[Mitchie's P.O.V.] _

I couldn't stand it. Every second that ticked by felt like hours, and I struggled to contain my emotions as I dug my nails into my skin, deeper and deeper with every passing moment.

Landon's tight grip on me hadn't faltered, from the moment I'd broke down crying into his arms, until now, when I'd managed to run out of tears, and simply sit in silence, feeling numb. Nick and Kevin had remained quietly in the other corner, their faces showing distress as they whispered among themselves, their movements nervous. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to bother with wondering what they were discussing, since I could already see the fear on their faces.

Landon sighed, leaning down and resting his head on my shoulder, his firm grip still holding me tightly. I was glad, since if he did let go, I wasn't sure how I might react. I wanted nothing more than to fling myself at the door, find a way out, and to go find Joe and Dain. I needed to know what was going on - this never ending torture, as every moment passed, dragging on and on, until I could hardly breathe.

My head felt as if it was ready to explode. I was so stressed I could hardly focus, my mind racing back and forth, and dried tear stains on my cheeks. How could Dain do this - not just to me, of course, but to Landon, Joe, Nick, Kevin, and every other single person he'd victimized. It wasn't right, and I didn't know how he could remain so emotionless and cruel. I wondered if he even had a heart, or just a cold piece of ice there.

Overwhelmed, I drew in a deep breath, unable to stop myself from shaking as the fact that Joe was still not back continued to haunt me. He shouldn't have to suffer for what I'd done - it wasn't his fault, after all, that I was here. Dain knew me too well, and he knew exactly what would bother me.

I hated myself, in that moment, for a number of reasons. I'd trusted him and had told him freely how I felt, I'd spoken up to him, I'd caused Joe to have to suffer. Hardly able to swallow, the hatred rising into my chest, I slammed my hand against the stone floor with a grunt. Immediately, I realized I probably shouldn't have.

Landon jumped, his eyes wide as he shouted, and both Nick and Kevin's head snapped up to stare at me in shock. Pain spread through my hand like wildfire, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Tears, once again, streamed down my face, although not from the physical pain I was feeling, but from the emotional and mental pain I'd suffered through for the past three days. I ignored Landon as he moved in front of me, his hand grasping my wrist gently but firmly, as he glared at me, silently telling me not to even think about doing such a thing again. Kevin and Nick were now leaning over me, their eyes scanning my hand, probably to see what kind of damage I'd done to it. Landon groaned.

I ignored them all. Pulling my knees up and burying my face in my good hand, I cried.

I heard Landon tell me briefly I'd managed to break my wrist, but I didn't care, because at that moment, the pain felt good. It helped to distract me from everything that had happened, everything that was happening, and probably, everything that was still to come. I pulled back, forcing Landon to release his grip on my hand, and shoved my back against the wall, trying to block everything out. Pain was shooting through my arm and down into my side, but at the moment, I couldn't have cared less. Everything was falling apart.

I heard the bolt to the cell door pull back, and I immediately raised my head hopefully. The door was slammed open, and Joe stumbled through. Both Nick and Kevin rushed forwards, their arms encircling him, but my eyes focused on the person behind the three brothers, the one who'd started all of this.

In a rush of anger, I stood, still ignoring the pain in my arm, and lunged forwards. Dain, nor myself, hardly expected what happened.

Screaming at him that I hated him, I jumped on top of him, the anger coursing through my veins. His shocked expression told me that I'd taken him by surprise, and I quickly took advantage of that fact. My fist swung forwards and, after a brief moment of pure shock, he toppled over, landing on the ground with a loud bang.

I stumbled back, my head spinning as I realized that I had actually managed to knock him half unconscious. Obviously, his guards hadn't expected it either, because they stood for a moment, horror written over all their faces. After a second's hesitation, two lunged forwards, grabbing my wrists and pushing me to the ground, while the others helped Dain back up. The fury in his eyes, and rage in his expression, made me second guess my actions.

Terrified, helpless beneath the guards' strong grasp, I realized that I had, once again, made a horrible mistake. He stepped forwards, the tip of his boot moving to rest on top of my broken wrist, and with a smirk, he stepped down again.

I bit my lip, trying to ignore the horrific pain shooting through my body, and focused on trying to breathe, although it was near impossible. Half unconscious from the pain, I glared up at him, as he stared down with hatred in his eyes.

"Just remember, Mitchie, that one way or the other, you won't escape. You _will _end up dead, if you don't choose to cooperate." He stepped back again, and I immediately sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to get my breath back and avoid passing out. Through my half-closed eyelids, I saw Dain give a sharp nod to the guards holding me, and immediately, they released me, although I had no energy to get up.

Pain still shot through body, feeling as if my wrist, especially, was on fire, and my head was spinning from the sheer agony I was feeling. I could see Dain's smirk glaring down at me, and then, once again, he nodded. If I had any energy, I would've frowned, as I had no clue what he was signalling the guards to do.

I realized two seconds later, when two moved forwards and grabbed hold of Landon, half-dragging him towards the cell door. I wanted to stop them, to stop them from taking Landon away, again, but I didn't have the breathe left to move. I stared in shock as Landon was pulled out of the cell, and the door shut firmly behind him. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted Landon back.

"Mitchie?" I jumped, quickly steadying myself, as Joe's voice came from beside me. I felt his arm wrap around my waist as he moved closer to me, helping me to move into a sitting position until I was leaning up against the wall, staring back at his chocolate brown eyes. With a sigh, I stared at him, wondering how he could still be so kind to me, even after it was my fault, that he'd had to deal with Dain.

His eyes remained on me, as he offered me a small smile, pulling me closer as he gave me a careful, but much needed hug. I couldn't help the tears that forced their way up, or the sob that caught in my throat, but Joe seemed to expect it, at least, since he only hugged me tighter.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, hardly daring to hear what he was going to say. I heard him take a deep breath before he answered.

"I'm fine. I should be asking you, really." He replied softly, and I turned away, guilt raining down on me as I, once again, regretted all of this. Joe frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked gently, his arms wrapping around me once again as a sob escaped from my throat.

"I'm so sorry, for all of this. I've caused all this - every one's suffering, and it's my fault. Landon, you, Nick and Kevin, and it's all my fault. everything is my fault, and I can't take it."

"Mitchie, this isn't your fault, and you know that very well. What's happened - it's Dain's fault, and _not_at all yours." I ignored him, knowing fully well that this was, indeed, my fault. Joe sighed from beside me, before he very gently took my wrist into his hand, staring down at me, his eyes filled with sadness. "Landon told me about your wrist, while Dain was..." He tailed off, and I groaned, hanging my head lower as I tried to avoid looking him in the eye.

"Stop it, please." I whispered, pulling my injured wrist from his grasp and ignoring the pain as best I could. Swallowing, trying to blink back my tears, I turned away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice my expression.

I heard Joe sigh, before I felt his hand reach up, pulling my chin around until I was, once again, staring back at him.

"Don't blame yourself, Mitchie." He whispered, his eyes searching mine, and I knew he could see how clearly I was, in fact, blaming myself. How could I not, when I was the one who'd gotten wrapped up with Dain in the first place? How couldn't I, when everything that had been happening, was all because of me? "Mitchie." Joe's firm tone broke me out of my guilt, and I glanced at him, noting the soft smile on his face. His eyes were unreadable, some emotion I couldn't seem to grasp stirring inside, and I closed my own eyes, a soft breath escaping from my chapped lips.

He leaned closer, and I wanted nothing more than to shove away from him, but I couldn't find the energy to push him away, again. I wanted to be alone - I wanted to drown in the feelings of guilt pouring down on me. Joe seemed to know what I was thinking, and refused to back away. Instead, he still came closer.

I stared back at him, unsure of what to think, and Joe offered me a brief smile before he leaned forwards.

I sucked in a deep breath, as Joe kissed me, unsure of how to respond or what to think. I always knew I'd started to develop feelings for Joe, but I hadn't even begun to imagine that he might feel the same way. I wanted to pull away, to shake my head at him, to be left alone, but I didn't dare to.

I couldn't help but give in, as I leaned closer, and I could swear I heard Joe chuckle.

A moment later, something hard was smashed against my head, and I fell back into the darkness.

* * *

_[Joe's P.O.V.]_

My head was spinning, reeling, from what Dain had told me. I could hardly dare to try to process this new information, or I knew that my expression would give away my true feelings. Swallowing my emotions, I stared back at Dain, forcing myself to keep smiling and nodding seriously. It was all I could do to keep from giving into the panic that was rising in my chest. It was too soon for this - of course, Dain had warned me from the start of what was going to happen, or at least given me a general idea, but I still hadn't been prepared for this moment at all.

I gripped the back of the chair tightly, hoping that I was doing a good enough of a job of hiding my emotions from Dain, as long as he managed to miss the fact that I'd probably paled when he'd told me of the new plan. Dain's smirk, though, stared back at me, with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"So you understand, well enough, what you're to do?" He asked, and I nodded, not able to find the strength to speak. If I opened my mouth, I was afraid of what was going to come out. "Good. And you understand, also, that you're to speak to _no one_ of this plan - not even your brothers, until the time is right?" He questioned, again.

Again, I nodded.

Dain's grin increased.

"Good, then." He smiled, before nodding to the guards on either side of me. "You may take Joe back to the cell now." He continued, and I stood straighter, releasing my death grip on the chair, and moving to stand next to the guards. My heart was pounding, my thoughts racing, as I tried to think about what I was going to do. Of course, I had no choice but to go along with his plan, and follow through on my part of the deal, but I knew I couldn't leave Mitchie to be a part of his cruel scheme.

Giving one last smile in Dain's direction, I turned my back, walking out of the dark room and down the long corridor. I already knew exactly where the cell was located in this maze of prison rooms. A fourth set of footsteps, though, surprised me, and I glanced backwards to find Dain had followed us. I felt my heart leap into my throat, knowing that nothing good would come out of this.

We reached the cell not soon after, and the moment that one guard drew back the large bolt on the door, the other shoved me forwards, and I stumbled, barely able to catch my balance. Nick and Kevin jumped up immediately, looks of worry, and yet some relief, evident on their faces as they rushed forwards, their arms encircling me into a hug. I could hardly focus, though, my eyes darting around the room to search for Mitchie.

It didn't take very long to find her.

"I hate you." I heard her scream before I could realize what she was doing. In one swift motion, she jumped forwards, launching herself at Dain. A look of utter surprise crossed his face, and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and drag her away from him, only for her protection. What she did next, however, made me freeze.

Her fist swung out, and I heard Dain gasp, before he fell. Mitchie's eyes widened as she realized what had happened, and she jumped back, panic evident in her expression. I bit my lip, my heart racing, as I imagined all the horrible outcomes this would have. Dain's guards, looking shocked, jumped, two helping Dain up, and two tackling Mitchie to the floor, landing on top of her in one swift motion. Dain rose to his feel, glaring at Mitchie with such pure hatred that I wanted to jump in front of him, to protect her from what I knew was bound to come next.

He stepped forwards, towering over Mitchie, glaring down at her, his expression dangerous. Without hesitating, he moved forwards, until his boot was on top of her wrist, and I saw as he leaned forwards, putting all his weight down. I flinched, wishing I could jump out and stop him, but knowing fully well that I had no choice of protecting her now, not after the fact that I'd just barely managed to make an excuse for protecting her earlier.

"Just remember, Mitchie, that one way or the other, you won't escape. You _will _end up dead, if you don't choose to cooperate." Dain snapped, glaring down at Mitchie. I saw the pained expression on her face, as she bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, and I glanced at Landon, who had gone pale and had a look of violence on his face, as if he wanted to choke Dain at that moment. He caught my glance and mouthed "her wrist is broken" to me, and I stiffened as I understood.

Dain finally stepped back, smirking down at Mitchie, who hardly looked conscious. Her eyes were glazed with pain, as he stepped back, grinning. His eyes glanced around the room and rested on Landon, before he nodded slightly. I closed my eyes, sucking in a deep breath, knowing what was coming next.

The guards stepped over Mitchie, ignoring her striken look as they reached Landon, grabbing hold of him and pulling him towards the cell's door. His wild look said enough, and I saw Mitchie opened her mouth, her expression fearful, as she stared at Landon.

Dain smirked, stepped forwards towards me and slamming something down into my hand. I glanced down at the object and understood, my heart sinking into my chest. Nick and Kevin frowned, glancing at me, but I ignored them as I realized just how soon Dain's plan was going to be put into action. I stared down at Mitchie - so helpless, so fragile - and felt my heart break as I thought about what was going to happen.

The door was slammed shut as Landon was dragged out of the cell, and immediately, I pulled away from Nick and Kevin and dropped down beside Mitchie, helping her sit up. Sitting down in front of her, I ran my gaze over her shaking body, as she struggled to catch her breath. Tears were running down her cheeks as stared at me, the guilt she was feeling evident in her watery eyes. She sucked in a deep breath, glancing at the closed cell door, before she returned her worried gaze to me.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, and I paused, unsure of what to say. Physically, I was fine, but emotionally, I was about to have a breakdown. I wanted so badly to go against Dain's plan, but I had no choice in the matter.

"I'm fine," I answered, hoping she wouldn't notice the tone of my voice, and quickly changed subjects. "I should be asking you, really." I continued, truthfully, and Mitchie turned away from me, almost immediately, stiffening. I froze for a second, wondering what had happened while Dain had been talking to me, before I gently took her hand. "What's wrong?" I asked, catching my breath as I waited for her to answer. She hesitated, before she glanced back at me, fresh tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, for all of this. I've caused all this - everyone's suffering, and it's my fault. Landon, you, Nick and Kevin, and it's all my fault. everything is my fault, and I can't take it." She sobbed, and I felt my heart go out towards her. I wanted to comfort her, to hold her, to tell her it would be alright. In truth, I didn't dare to offer her false hope, especially after I knew what was going to happen next.

"Mitchie, this isn't your fault, and you know that very well. What's happened - it's Dain's fault, and _not_ at all yours." I insisted, knowing fully well that it wasn't at all Mitchie's fault, any of this. I sighed as Mitchie refused to look at me, and I could tell really wasn't hearing a word I was saying, all wrapped up in the guilt that she didn't deserve. Instead, I glanced down at her wrist, which had turned a nasty shade of black and blue, and gently touched her arm. ""Landon told me about your wrist, while Dain was..." I stopped, feeling my breath catch in my throat.

"Stop it, please." She whispered, as if she had no energy left to fight back, or do anything, and I groaned inwardly. It was as if she had simply given up, and I couldn't stand to see her so broken. Trembling, I gently touched her chin, turning her head so she was forced to look me in the eye.

"Don't blame yourself, Mitchie." I whispered, my heart leaping into my throat as my body shook, because I knew what was coming next. I wanted to disobey Dain - to try to escape with her, to save her, to protect her, but I knew very well that my best chance at doing so was by going along with Dain's plan - at least until I had the chance to help her get away.

"Mitchie." I spoke softly, but I knew she'd heard me. I offered her a small smile, my heart pounding in my chest as I leaned forwards slowly, catching her unsure expression, and ignoring it as I continued to move closer to her.

And just like that, I kissed her.

She didn't pull away, and I allowed myself to savor the moment for a second, before I did what Dain wanted me to. She was so destroyed, so fragile, and I wanted to help fix her. Instead, here I was, helping Dain, and breaking her down even more. I hated Dain, I hated what I was about to do, but most of all - I hated myself.

My hand travelled down to the object Dain had given me, and I gripped it, my heart pounding in my chest as I realized I had no other choice.

_"You can do it, or I will."_ Dain had told me earlier - and as much as I hated myself, I didn't dare to refuse him, because I knew he would be much more violent and Mitchie didn't deserve any more of Dain's harsh treatment. So, I'd stood up and offered to do it myself.

Shaking, hardly able to imagine what I was doing, I lifted the object and brought it down on top of Mitchie's head, knocking her unconcious.

Her limp body dropped almost immediately, and I didn't hesitate to catch her in my arms, tears filling my eyes as the weight of what I had just done hit me, and I drew her closer to me, leaning down and crying openly while I cradled her body in my arms. I heard Nick and Kevin gasp from behind me, and their scuffling footsteps as they came closer, kneeling down beside myself and Mitchie.

I raised my head, my body shaking, as I met their sympathetic and horrified gazes.

"Dain's... plan." I whispered, heartbroken as I stared down at Mitchie's closed eyes, horrified of what I had just done. "He said..." I broke off, trying to stop from breaking down completely, and explain to Nick and Kevin what was going on. "If I didn't... then he would." I managed to spit out, and I saw Nick and Kevin's wide eyes and shocked expressions. They understood, but still were horrified. I didn't blame them - I had just betrayed Mitchie in every way.

Lifting my head, sucking in a deep breath, I tried to stop the tears from falling down my face and turned instead to face Nick and Kevin, trying to ignore Mitchie's limp body in my arms.

"Dain's plan has just begun."


End file.
